Lesson for a lifetime !

I'm in that part of adoloscence where you seem to get mature in
your thoughts,actions, basically everything about you sorta takes a turn for the best (/da worst :D), or atleast I think thats the part where I'm headed to..! Teens this age




Aug 19th,A day I'd like to erase from my life.! Me and my best pal made a spectacular and impressive fight out of a really silly matter of the teeniest importance, which doesn't seem ludicrous even in the aftermath(though i wish it'd be:( )This blog isn't about those times that i wish never happened,but something as a result of which I came to learn or realise..
I guess all i'm doing right now is befuddling u,my loyal readers :)...

Well lemme get this straight and write about about wat i intended to.... "The 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE"

Well there I was ,on Aug 21,in my Dept seminar hall for the Students Association Hour..With the idea of having fun by hoisting the juniors on stage and having a healthy n fun teaser session as they performed the various tasks we ,the seniors gave them(GD's and other stuff), it was a bummer when it was announced that we were gonna have a Guest Lecture on blah blah blah....(who cares -Guest lectures are downright Boring with a 'B' ).So I try to find the right cosy spot on my chair to have forty winks before my evening regime,without even bothering to give the poor prof a try.The Guest speaker turned out to be Mr.Sathya Narayan of Dept of MBA,My college.And Blahblahblah actually turned out to be something interesting.. which is the spine of this post.At the 2nd wink I must've been up ,for I he asked us to close our eyes .?!??!?! That must have been the thing that pulled open my palpebra(in lay terms, my eyelids :D).He spoke about the Paradigm Shift ,explaining it with this picture:

The 'Seven Habits' are a remarkable set of inspirational and aspirational standards for anyone who seeks to live a full, purposeful and good life, and are applicable today more than ever, as the business world becomes more attuned to humanist concepts. I've got so much to write about it but so little time ryt now.So lemme delve into it ryt away...
habit 1 - be proactive
This is the ability to control one's environment, rather than have it control you, as is so often the case. You have a set of responses to select from ...thing is u select the best respose to the situation..

habit 2 - begin with the end in mind

Covey calls this the habit of personal leadership - leading oneself that is, towards what you consider your aims. By developing the habit of concentrating on relevant activities you will build a platform to avoid distractions and become more productive and successful.

habit 3 - put first things first

This is about organising and implementing activities in line with the aims established in habit 2.

habit 4 - think win-win

Win-win sees life as a cooperative arena, not a competitive one. Win-win is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions. They say there's an emotional bank inside everybody..You either deposit or withdraw from it.Its called mutual dependence..success follows a co-operative approach more naturally and you need friends for that (Strike 1 !!!!!!!!!! )

habit 5 - seek first to understand and then to be understood

One of the great maxims of the modern age and my favourite slide in his ppt. This is Covey's habit of communication, and it's extremely powerful. This is the simple analogy 'diagnose before you prescribe'. Simple and effective, and essential for developing and maintaining positive relationships in all aspects of life.Our professor didn't have to go this far to make Strike 2 .Just the title made the Strike! (Strike 2 !!!!!!!!!!!!! )

habit 6 - synergize

Covey says this is the habit of creative co-operation - the principle that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, which implicitly lays down the challenge to see the good and potential in the other person's contribution.Valuing differences is what really drives synergy,meaning "2 heads are better than 1".Somehow this made Strike 3!!!!!!!!

Wondering wats with the strikes1,2 n 3? lemme finish..

habit 7 - sharpen the saw

This is the habit of self renewal and it necessarily surrounds all the other habits, enabling and encouraging them to happen and grow.

This blog wouldn't be complete if i don't attach this pic signifyin the 7 habits

If you think this is the end,there's also the 8th habit to which is dedicated an entire book tat will take u from effectiveness to greatness..I haven't read that yet.But I intend to atleast skim thru' in the days to come.

At this point the most important thing you can do for yourself is define YOUR goals.!I have found if you do not have a clear goal in mind there are plenty of people out there quite willing to tell you what it should be.To that end here is an interesting article about personal mission statements.Personal Mission Statements.
BTW...The strikes?? those were the blows on my mind bringing me to ground reality about not settling peace with my 9 year best bud ! :( I began to see thru' things and realised that this isn't the same old me , whos always the first to settle things,be @ peace with all.Something has come over me and it has gone just as enigmatically as it had come ! hooray.

Though the object of discussion had a different connotation the way the prof was seeing things, mine had a different dimension. Must be the 'Paradigm Shift' huh !!! :)

Anyways we had had a strong argument days ago,part of which was the element of mistrust that i had showcased.This broke my chum.:( . I lost no time in making up to her that nyt.A hug and a few lachrymal gland secretions was the finishline of this bitter experience.As she said later she had 3 strikes too ,like me(v r best frnds!rembr..)Yet thru' all this I never asked a word of sorry, for I too like Eric Segal(author of Love Story) beleive that "Loving means never having to say you are sorry"

Biddin adieu with a cheerful note,

The new and improved ME. :)

(If its new,how can it be improved or if its improved how can it be new?? Beats me, Its true!But still thats the phrase wat all television n other commercials use . LOL :D )

Anybody feel the same way i feel about Stephen Covey's book pls do post ur comments.Hope you lay ur hands on this "1989 book " do comment about it here.