Part II The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen R

One day you will wake up and there won't be any more time to do the things you always wanted to.

DO IT TODAY !

- PAULO

Welcome back, last week we learned the first four habits of highly effective people, now let us move forward and cover the remaining three habits.

If you haven’t read part one, I would urge you all to read PART I  (👈 LINK)  to understand this better.

Do remember to hit the follow button on the top of the page 😉 Thank you

The fifth habit: Seek first to understand, then to be understood.

Imagine visiting an Optician and he gives you his own glasses, without bothering to check your eyesight, claiming that since he can see fine with them, they should work for you too.
You probably will find it difficult to trust the advice you get from there.

Though this example sounds unreal, we often behave very similarly in our everyday life. Particularly, when talking with others. We do not really listen to what they have to say and instead project our own situation onto them, and come up with quick solutions that we can "prescribe" to them.

This is the reason why people do not trust your judgment, they feel their situation has not been fully understood.

So if you want to be respected as a listener and an unbiased advisor, you need to develop the skill of empathic listening. A big change from "I am listening so that I can provide an answer" to "I am listening so that I can really understand the person in front of me."

Empathic listening means trying to understand them both intellectually and emotionally.
So to practice empathic listening, you should not just listen to the words; you should attend to the feelings, behaviour and meaning behind them. One way to work on your empathic listening skills is to observe what emotions do you see being communicated?

It takes time and effort to master this skill, however with time rewards will be worth it. If you learn to listen in a truly empathic way, you will notice that many people are fully prepared to open up to you and to respect your opinions and advice. They just need a good, appreciative listener before they can do so.

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The sixth habit: Synergize by treating others with openness and respect.

Synergizing: Synergy means a situation where the contributions of many add up to a total that exceeds the combined contributions of the individuals. One plus one can equal three or more.

So how can you implement this principle in your own social interactions?

Each of us sees the world differently and we each have our own particular strengths. You can leverage the power of synergy by being open with others and valuing these differences.

When people truly synergize, they listen to each other, put themselves in each other’s shoes and use the contributions of others as a springboard to create something great. They are on the same side, trying to tackle a shared challenge, not fighting each other.

Synergy requires a significant degree of self-confidence, as well as the conviction that the combined contribution of each party can lead to something great, even if the journey to get there is a bit chaotic.

So make a list of the people you find it difficult to discuss things with and think about their views. If you were more confident and open-minded, do you think you could find synergies between your perspective and theirs?

The seventh habit: Sharpen the saw if you want to keep sawing.

If lumberjacks spent all their time sawing down trees but never once paused to sharpen their saws, they would soon have such dull tools that they won’t be able to take down a single tree.

Similarly, if you never pause to take care of yourself, any gains in effectiveness you achieve will be short-lived, for you will soon exhaust yourself and won’t be able to maintain any of the good habits you have developed.

That’s why “sharpening your saw” is essential for lasting effectiveness.

To stay physically fit, you need to exercise regularly, eat healthily and avoid undue stress.

Your spiritual health also contributes to lasting effectiveness. This could mean praying or meditating, or simply regularly reflecting on your own norms and values.

To stay mentally healthy, read plenty of good books, avoid spending too much time in front of your television screen and make time for your own writing in some form – be it letters or poetry or a diary. 

Organizing and planning things are also good exercises to keep your mind sharp and fresh.

Consciously make time to improve and recharge. Many people claim they cannot find time for this, but in the long-term, it is essential for sustained effectiveness.

To make sure you truly sharpen your saw, write down activities that could contribute to your well-being. Then pick one activity as a goal for the week and afterwards, evaluate your performance. This will help you strive for balanced renewal in all areas.

Please Note: I have omitted many key points from the book if you have liked the summary I am sure you will love the book. Please go ahead and purchase the book and encourage the publishers. 

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Summary of my Summary 😂

Be proactive: You have a natural need to wield influence on the world around you, so don’t spend your time just reacting to external events and circumstances. Take charge and assume responsibility for your life.

Begin with an end in mind: Don’t spend your life working aimlessly, tackling whatever job comes to hand. Have a vision for the future and align your actions accordingly to make it into a reality.

Put first things first: To prioritize your work, focus on what is important, meaning the things that brings you closer to your vision of the future. Do not get distracted by urgent but ultimately unimportant tasks.

Think win-win: When negotiating with others, don’t try to get the biggest slice of the pie, but rather find a division that is acceptable and beneficial to all parties. You will still get your fair share and build strong positive relationships in the process.

Seek first to understand, then to be understood: When someone presents us with a problem, we often jump right to prescribing a solution. This is a mistake. We should first take time to really listen to the other person and only then make recommendations.

Synergize: Adopt the guiding principle that the contributions of many will far exceed the sum total of individual contributions. This will help you to achieve goals you could never have reached on your own.

Sharpen the saw: Don’t work yourself to death. Strive for a sustainable lifestyle that affords you time to improve and recharge, so that you can stay effective in the long-term.

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Dear Friends,

This blog is my personal attempt to help you.  If you found this article to be helpful, kindly share it with your near and dear ones.

I would be very glad to hear your feedback, in fact, it will motivate me to continue my journey of, Blog and Teach.

Thanks and I wish and hope you make a lot of wealth from your investments.

All the best!! 👍👍👍

Cheers 🍹

Intelligent Investor