7 Habits of Highly Effective People: The Habit

-Habits are auto-piloted, repeated actions fed by our thoughts and decisions, and are they lead directly into our character. Habits can be good (i.e. regularly exercising), bad (i.e. thinking negatively) or indifferent (i.e. taking your showers at night instead of morning), but all habits create who we are and in turn, how we live. The key to having the college experience you really desire is to understand your actions and take the time to develop good, effective habits to guide your life.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a book written by Steven Covey and adapted for youth by his son Sean Covey about how to lay a positive foundation for building your future. The great news is that you are in your prime for learning and creating habits that will be beneficial for the rest of your life. 

The seven habits are:

• being proactive
• beginning with the end in mind
• putting first things first
• thinking win-win
• seeking first to understand than to be understood
• synergize
• sharpen the saw

The first three are considered private victories, as they focus on self mastery and the next three habits are considered public victories as they are built on relationships and teamwork. The final habit is for intentional renewal which will replenish all other habits. The habits are meant to be sequential, meaning the first habit should be mastered (or greatly cared for) before the second. The justification for this is that the intrinsic habits must be experienced before the extrinsic habits can be tackled. Those who implement these habits will find a greater control over their lives, improved relationships, smarter decision making, more efficiency, happiness and balance. 

We will explore these 7 habits and how they can make you a more efficient (and happier!) college students across a series of posts.