Dr. Covey has done something in this first part of the book, in the way he categorizes the body of work used for years to yield successful individuals since the birth of our nation, which I have failed to pick up in my other reading. Up until this book, many other volumes of success driven literature has focused on two things, Personality and Character ethics. Both these, Covey suggests, focuses on how a person sees himself, his environment, his behavior and interaction with others (this is the short and skinny). Covey suggests that the main thing that should be developed is the paradigms that we use to make our decisions. He suggests that our view of the world usually needs to be redeveloped before we can become more effective individuals with good constructive habits. He calls this change a “paradigm shift”.
Selected Quotes:
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“Habits can be learned and unlearned. But I also know it isn’t a quick fix. It involves a process and a tremendous commitment.”
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“Happiness can be defined, in part at least, as the fruit of the desire and ability to sacrifice what we want now for what we want eventually”
“Needs arise only when you deprive yourself”- A Course in Miracles
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“In our quest for short-term returns, or results, we often ruin a prized physical asset- our body or our environment. Have you ever invaded principle to increase your standard of living, to get more golden eggs? The decreasing principle has decreasing power to produce interest or income. And the dwindling capital becomes smaller and smaller until it no longer supplies even basic needs. Our most important financial asset is our own capacity to earn. If we don’t continually invest in improving our PC, we severely limit our options.
“Be Patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it is holy ground. There is no greater investment.”
