7 Habits of Highly Effective People: The Public Victory

Habits 1, 2 and 3 are about private victories; working on the inward. Once you’ve reached your private victory, you can begin focusing on your relationships with others which make up the richness of life. After learning your independence, you can begin to work meaningfully and cooperatively with others.

Relationships rely on consistent deposits that show commitment and care. Just like the personal bank account, the relationship bank account needs to be replenished and grown over and over again. Keeping promises is perhaps the most vital act to build trust. Small commitments, when carried out, show reliability and maturity. Because it is so important to follow through on promises, they should be made sparingly and only with every intention to fulfill them..

Keeping commitments is much like showing loyalty. Whether right next to you or far away, displaying loyalty means avoiding gossip, keeping personal information secret and sticking up for others. This takes courage but the admiration and care that radiates from loyal is far reaching. This also means saying sorry in times when you mess up and being quick to forgive others for the same pitfalls.

Performing small acts of kindness is another way to make a deposit into the relationship bank account. These can be little favors or thoughtful actions but they are hugely important for letting someone know you care. The opportunity or need for a small act of kindness is often revealed with intentional listening. Taking the time to sit down and really listen to what someone else is feeling, going through or needing is valuable information for understanding how you can be kind to them. A thoughtful note, an embracing hug or an offer to help will make a deposit as a favor and as a caring listener.