The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
Before we begin work on the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, I
would like to suggest two paradigm shifts that will greatly increase the
value you will receive from this material.
First, I would recommend that you not “see” this material as a book, in
the sense that it is something to read once and put on a shelf.
You may choose to read it completely through once for a sense of the
whole. But the material is designed to be a companion in the continual
process of change and growth. It is organized incrementally and with
suggestions for application at the end of each habit so that you can study
and focus on any particular habit as you are ready.
As you progress to deeper levels of understanding and implementation,
you can go back time and again to the principles contained in each habit
and work to expand your knowledge, skill, and desire.
Second, I would suggest that you shift your paradigm of your own
involvement in this material from the role of learner to that of teacher. Take
an inside-out approach, and read with the purpose in mind of sharing or
discussing what you learn with someone else within 48 hours after you
learn it.
If you had known, for example, that you would be teaching the material
on the P/PC Balance principle to someone else within 48 hours, would it
have made a difference in your reading experience? Try it now as you read
the final section in this chapter. Read as though you are going to teach it to
your spouse, your child, a business associate, or a friend today or tomorrow,
while it is still fresh, and notice the difference in your mental and emotional
process.
I guarantee that if you approach the material in each of the following
chapters in this way, you will not only better remember what you read, but
your perspective will be expanded, your understanding deepened, and your
motivation to apply the mate rial increased.
In addition, as you openly, honestly share what you’re learning with
others, you may be surprised to find that negative labels or perceptions
others may have of you tend to disappear. Those you teach will see you as a
changing, growing person, and will be more inclined to be helpful and
supportive as you work, perhaps together, to integrate the Seven Habits into
your lives.