Week 7 - MOVING FORWARD WITH A DRIVING PASSION

From the talk of Gordon B. Hinckley, “Stand True and Faithful” I found this quotes very interesting:

“We believe in being true. How very important it is to be true to ourselves. Each of us has a thing we call conscience. We know the difference between right and wrong. We do not have to be instructed concerning what is good and what is evil. I think we know that. We know when we have done the wrong thing, and we suffer pangs of conscience. We know when we have done the right thing, and we experience a sense of happiness. To be true to ourselves means being an example of righteous living in all situations and circumstances.”…

“He wants His sons and daughters to be happy. Sin never was happiness. Transgression never was happiness. Disobedience never was happiness. The way of happiness is found in the plan of our Father in Heaven and in obedience to the commandments of His Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.”…

“He invites us to come unto Him. He has said to each of us, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matt. 7:7).

Pray to the Father in His name. None of us can really make it alone. We need help, the kind of help that can come in answer to prayer.“…

“You are so very important. This work is so much the stronger because of you. Whenever you step over the line in an immoral act or in doing any other evil thing, the Church is that much weaker because of what you have done. When you stand true and faithful, it is that much stronger. Each one of you counts.”

From “The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People” by STEPHEN R. COVEY this were the insights that stood out to me:

“… no matter how much a person works on their attitude, they won’t change if they don’t change their perceptions.”…” The character ethic taught there are basic principles of effective living, and that people can only experience true success and enduring happiness as they integrate those principles into their personal character.”

“The seven habits embody many of the fundamental principles of human effectiveness. They represent the internalization of correct principles upon which enduring happiness and success are based.”

“The 7 Habits are a new level of thinking - a paradigm shift based on a principle-centered, character-based inside-out approach to personal effectiveness.

“Proactive people are highly responsible. Proactivity means to subordinate impulses to values. Reactive people are swept away by the heat of the moment. Proactive people are driven by values that are both well thought out and internalized. It is not what happens that is important. It is our response to whatever happens that makes all the difference. Often, the most difficult circumstances become crucibles that forge our character and develop hidden reserves of strength. What matters most in life is not what happens to us, but how we respond to whatever happens. Our basic nature is to act, not to wait to be acted upon. We have the ability to take the initiative in any situation we are in. Everyone either waits to be acted on or takes responsibility for their own course and make the appropriate decisions. Being proactive doesn’t mean being pushy, aggressive or insensitive. Rather, proactivity means to control a situation from the inside out. Or in other words, to affect positive change, stop focusing on the immediate circumstances and instead consider your response to the conditions that exist. Do that and you have removed the power of anything external to affect you.”

“A particularly effective way to get into the habit of beginning with the end in mind is to write your own mission statement, philosophy or creed. This should focus on what you want to be (character), do (contributions & achievements) and on the values or principles upon which being and doing are based”

In Passion vs. Money, Guy Kawasaky states that “whatever you build, it's about passion, and less about money. Your goals should be about changing the world, or making the world a better place.” He also talks about his experience growing up thinking that money was the most important thing in life. He advises students to study abroad and to spend as much time learning as possible.

Jim Ritchie gives us a summary of the seven habits of highly effective people from the book of Steven Covey:

1^st Be proactive (proactive people ≠ reactive people)

2^nd Begin with the end in mind

3^rd First things first

4^th Think win -win (but not at the expense of others)

5^th First seek to understand, then to be understood

6^th Create synergy

7^th Sharpen the saw

Which of the 7 habits has the most meaning for you and why?

I cannot say that of these seven habits one has more meaning to me than other. From what I have read and that made sense to me, the development of all these seven habits is what leads to success. We cannot do one of these habits and let other equally important behind if we want to achieve success. But the development of these habits is a process.

However, there were two that stood out most in my mind. The first “Be proactive” and the fourth “Think win – win”: Be proactive because man has the ability to be an acting agent and not only be the person that gets the action. I believe that great entrepreneurs understand very well this concept; and Think win-win because both parties benefit from this relationship.