Friday, November 25, 2011

In What Ways Do You Apply the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People?



Several years ago, I completed the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People course. Here is a brief summary of the seven habits...

1.    Be proactive--"Taking initiative does not mean being pushy, obnoxious, or aggressive. It does mean recognizing our responsibility to make things happen."

2.    Begin with the end in mind--"This habit is based on imagination--the ability to envision, to see the potential, to create with our minds what we cannot at present see with our eyes...”

3.    Put first things first--"Create a clear, mutual understanding of what needs to be accomplished, focusing on what, not how; results not methods. Spend time. Be patient. Visualize the desired result."

4.    Think win-win--"Win-Win is a frame of mind that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions. Win-Win means that agreements or solutions are mutually beneficial and satisfying."

5.    Seek first to understand, then to be understood--"'Seek First to Understand' involves a very deep shift in paradigm. We typically seek first to be understood. Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply. They're either speaking or preparing to speak. They're filtering everything through their own paradigms, reading their autobiography into other people's lives."

6.    Synergize--"Synergy works; it's a correct principle. It is the crowning achievement of all the previous habits. It is effectiveness in an interdependent reality--it is teamwork, team building, the development of unity and creativity with other human beings."

7.    Sharpening the saw--"This is the habit of renewal...It circles and embodies all the other habits. It is the habit of continuous improvement...that lifts you to new levels of understanding and living each of the habits."

In what ways do you apply the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People in your life?

Note: Quotes are from 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Where Do You Come From?

After reading this wonderful blog, I was inspired to write my own. Once you start writing, anything that comes to your mind, the memories come flooding back and you are taken back. It’s such a great exercise in thankfulness...why not give it a try?

I come from Ellis Island where the ship, Princess Irene, brought my maternal birth grandparents from Scontrone, Italy, to Chicago in 1906.
I come from an illegal abortionist who refused to abort me at 4 months gestation in 1952.
I come from the Salvation Army hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, where my birthmother placed me for adoption on Friday the 13th of February in 1953.
I come from loving Christian parents who adopted me and took me to church and Sunday School.
I come from chocolate milk before bedtime made with love by my daddy.
I come from cookies and milk after school with my stay-at-home mom.
I come from chocolate milk shakes at the drug store during Sunday afternoon drives.
I come from moving to nine different houses in ten years between 1st grade and 10th grade.
I come from six years of home economics in junior high and high school.
I come from being elected president of the Future Homemakers of America in 9th grade.
I come from being chosen as editor-in-chief of my junior high newspaper.
I come from being honored as “Miss Responsibility” by my junior high principal.
I come from being elected as the first female president of my high school student body.
I come from summer vacations at Indian Shores Beach and Gatlinburg.
But more importantly…
I come from adoptive parents who loved me enough to introduce me to Jesus Christ.
I come from Sunday School and G.A.’s mission groups every week from the cradle roll.
I come from a mom and dad who made sure that we were in the pews every Sunday.
I come from youth pastors who gave all of their time to help me find my way.
I come from Young Life inner city retreats where I learned to see God in unlikely places.
I come from summer G.A. camps where I learned to make s’mores.
I come from singing His praise in the inspirational musical, “Tell It Like It Is.”
I come from His grace and mercies that are new every morning, praise Him.
I come from His Word, which is alive and active in me.
I come from a Heavenly Father who knows what my future holds.
I come from desiring to know Him better and to walk more closely.
This is where I come from. It made me who I am today. It is molding and shaping every choice that I make now, and in the days to come. Thank God He has been with me all along.
Where do you come from?

(c) 2011 beth willis miller

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