I just started reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. I love it. I wanted to share a few things with you.
1.) Our Perceptions, Our World
“We must look at the lens through which we see the world, as well as at the world we see…” -Covey
This really stood out to me. I often forget that how I perceive the world is only through my lens—my eyes, prejudice, mind—and that it gets foggy once in awhile. Covey explains how people often misinterpret their real perceptions for fake ones; that our actions are meaningless if we don’t change the way we look at things.
2.) The Core: “You can’t hide your pretend self.”
Covey includes a quotes from Emerson:
“What you are shouts so loudly in my ears I cannot hear what you say.”
Basically, he says that people who use manipulation and tactics to “control” people, it just doesn’t work in the long run. Without the strong foundations of deep integrity and fundamental character strength, success will only be temporary.
Covey uses the analogies of a school to a farm. In school, it’s not that hard to “fake it ’til you make it.” I’m an average high school student; I know ways to “play the game” manipulated by the teachers and get good grades—I’ve done this many times. So, the law of the harvest explained by Covey made perfect sense to me. You can’t cram on a farm; you can’t take shortcuts and expect a harvest.
Thanks and have a great weekend ❤
Love, Aozora
