Private Victory: Habit One – Be Proactive: I understand that one of the keys to my success is the ability to think about my own thought process. This is called self awareness, and this is the reason humanity can make significant advances from generation to generation. Self awareness allows me to evaluate and learn from my own experiences and the experiences of others. This is the key to making and breaking my habits. Only when I take how I see myself into account will I be able to access my full personal potential and my ability to relate to others. Thanks to self awareness, I can examine my paradigms and determine if they are based in reality. The key to being self aware is to reject the social mirror that feeds me negative thoughts and accentuates my flaws. This mirror is largely determined by conditioning and conditions. I understand that there are three theories of why I am the way I am. The first is genetic determinism, which states that my genes and heritage determine my personality. Psychic determination states that I am the product of my upbringing. Environmental determinism states that it is outside forces that affect my personality. These are all based on the stimulus and response theory, which says that I am conditioned to respond in a certain way to a specific stimulus. I understand that my ability to be self aware and lift myself above the circumstances surrounding me affords me the unique opportunity to overcome these responses that have been conditioned in me, and create my own that are more productive and fulfilling. In order to do this, I must be proactive. Being proactive means that in between the stimulus and response, there is a third stage. This stage is the freedom to choose, and it is full of self awareness, imagination, conscience, and independent will. Being proactive means that when I feel an impulse, I am able to make that impulse subordinate to the values I hold inside. I am still influenced by the stimuli, but I am aware of this influence and choose how I react to it. An outside stimulus can only affect me so much as I let it. It is not outside forces that help or hurt me, it is my reaction to those outside forces. My character, my basic identity, can only be impacted if I let it. By understanding that my most difficult experiences become the crucibles that forge my character, I can turn any circumstance in my favor. My basic nature is to act, rather than be acted upon. This is why it is key to take the initiative in every situation. Taking initiative means recognizing my responsibility to make things happen. Rather than waiting for something to happen to me, I am ready to hold myself to the responsible course and bring good things to me. In takes initiative to create a balance between productivity and production capacity in my life. It takes initiative to develop the seven habits. All the other six habits depend on the development of my sense of productivity. Each one puts the responsibility on me, and I am ready to be productive and shoulder that responsibility. I am aware of my language, and I am replacing reactive thoughts with proactive ones. Instead of accepting that I am a certain way, I know I can choose a different approach. Instead of focusing on negative emotions, I know I can control my emotions. Reactive language becomes a self fulfilling prophecy, while proactive language creates the reality I want to see. By being proactive, and subordinating feelings to values, I can bring anything into my life I desire, including love. I am ready to become more aware of where I focus my time and energy. I do this by determining what I have real control over and focusing my energy there. By focusing on what I can control and letting go of what I cannot, I am maximizing my productivity. The things I am concerned about but cannot control can only take my focus off the things I can change for the better. I am determined to grow my circle of influence and shrink my circle of control. Problems that I can directly control are solved by working on my habits. Problems I can indirectly control can be solved by changing my methods of influence and how I react. Problems I cannot control can be helped by taking the responsibility to work through them with cheer and optimism. No matter the type of problem, the power is in my hands. I am less focused on the things I wish to have, and more focused on the things I wish to be. These are the parts of me that I can change, and by doing this I open the door to finding personal fulfillment. I know that the solution to my problems is within me, rather than out there. I am only free to choose my actions, not the consequences. Consequences are governed by natural law, and the best thing I can do when faced with consequences is to examine them, learn from them, and figure out what I will do differently next time. Making and keeping commitments is the key to proactive thought. I am ready make and keep commitments not only to others, but to myself as well. I have committed to embracing proactive thinking, and I am ready to begin the journey to personal fulfillment and happiness. ~NEW RELEASE! Franklin Coveys The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Hero Notes Audiobook App The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People chapters have been condensed into only the core principles for a quick, precise and focused listening and learning experience. Use Hero Notes AUDIOS as an accelerated learning aid, a tool to help you understand the principles of the book. We have included the chapter TEXT so you can follow along with the narrator or just read the key principles of the book whenever you please. Download Today! 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Posted on: Mon, 27 Oct 2014 20:53:08 +0000
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