<$BlogRSDUrl$>

Monday, June 30, 2003


Habit 1: Be Proactive 

"Between stimulus and response, man has the freedom to choose."
Covey's first principle suggests that the most basic habit of a successful person is being proactive: it means being responsible for your life.
While there are things in life that we cannot control, we do have the power to choose how these things affect us. We are never powerless because of this freedom to choose. Some of the most inspiring stories I've heard involve people going through the most difficult trials imaginable while still maintaining this strength of spirit that shines through. It is this core inside each and every one of us that is unchanging and encompasses all of our values and beliefs, and it is one thing that can never be taken away. If you let yourself be victimized by circumstances, Covey teaches, you will lock yourself in a cycle of self-fulfilling prophecy. It is only through conscious, value-driven effort, that you can control your destiny instead of letting circumstances dictate your life.

Practicing Habit 1:
* Work in your Circle of Influence, which encompasses things that we can (directly or indirectly) control, and exercise your freedom of choice.
* Change from the inside-out: by being different, effect positive change; inspire, don't judge.
* Acknowledge, correct and learn from mistakes - innediately; realize that the past is outside of your Circle of Influence.
* Build strength of character by making and keeping commitments (even small ones) - to yourself and others.

Some thoughts:
I consider this to be the most important habit, because it directly impacts our everyday wellbeing. One cannot create positive things in life and have meaningful experiences without wholeheartedly embracing the principle of proactivity. Now every time when I'm feeling down and the things are just not going my way, I will remind myself about this principle and will not let circumstances or other people make me feel powerless or upset. I will try to only look at the positive, work on things that are in my control, and not be a victim of circumstance.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People 

I want to start by talking about this book because, in my opinion, it is the foundation on which a successful and fulfilling life can be built. In it, the author Stephen R. Covey lays the groundwork for how to approach your life on which all subsequent ideas can build. I have been reading this book, on and off, for about four years. I have not finished it yet. It is not a very thick volume, but one cannot simply read through it like any other book. The 7 Habits is extremely engaging and requires a lot of work in order to gain the most from it. It is not just about reading about the concepts - they are easy to grasp and may even seem obvious. The challenging part is actually implementing them and living the seven habits in your everyday life. Mastering these habits should be an ongoing work in progress, and I will try to incorporate it into this blog. I will start by reviewing what I have learned so far about the first three principles and going through the exercises. I will also post permanent links on the left to this book on Amazon and FranklinCovey's resources website.

Why do I do this? 

There are two major reasons why I decided to invest time in doing this:

1. Motivation. Changing one's life is hard. There have been many times in my life when I felt inspired to "make a fresh start" because I was moved by a book, a class, or something that someone said. Sadly, these good intentions tend to be fleeting as the realities of life set in and soon we are once again caught up in the daily grind. This blog is a way to keep this original motivation going. If inspiration is not fed on a consistent basis, it fizzles out. Making an effort to chronicle my journey on a regular basis will allow me to provide motivation to myself and, perhaps, others.

2. Information. We are being inundated with "self-help" and spiritual advice on a daily basis and, if you're at all like me, you rarely have the time to absorb all this information. As a result, we often give up because it seems plain impossible to make sense of it all. In this blog, I will share the most useful/worthwhile information that I happen come across. My goal is to make it a very personal resource for everyone in their journey toward self-improvement and reaching their dreams.

The Beginning 

Hello, and welcome to Personal Legend. While the purpose of this blog is for me to share my experiences on the journey toward reaching my dreams, I also would like it to be a resource for all those interested in improving their mind, body and spirit. Having searched both the Internet and off-line on this subject, I have found an incredible volume of resources aimed at providing help in each of these areas. However, it is difficult if not impossible to sift through all available information and home in on what is truly important or what can make the strongest impact. It is my intention to use this space as a repository of those resources and methods that I find particularly useful. Of course, I always welcome any comments, suggestions, and links.