7 navad zelo učinkovitih ljudi

Knjiga Stephena Coveya 7 navad zelo uspešnih ljudi se je dotaknila življenja milijonov ljudi. To je ena najbolj znanih knjig o uspehu.

Zakaj je ta knjiga drugačna?

Covey je raziskoval literaturo o uspehu zadnjih 200 let. Ugotovil je, da se je v zadnjih 50 letih večina knjig osredotočila na doseganje uspeha, ki temelji na zunanjem videzu: na oblačenju, socialnih spretnostih in osebnosti. 

Pred tem so se avtorji in pisatelji osredotočili na nasprotno. Kako doseči uspeh na podlagi osebnih lastnosti: to so značaj, integriteta, ponižnost, pogum in pravičnost.

Sedem navad zelo učinkovitih ljudi prinaša nazaj modrost izpred dvajsetih let prejšnjega stoletja. Razvijanje tvojega značaja je osnova za uspeh. 

Kdo so zelo učinkoviti ljudje?

Zelo učinkovite posameznike lahko opišemo kot vplivne in uspešne ljudi. 

atere navade so dobre?

Obstaja sedem navad, ki jih priporoča Covey. Tukaj je povzetek vsake od njih.

1. Proaktivnost

Si reaktivna ali proaktivna oseba?

Reaktivne ljudi skrbijo stvari, ki jih ne morejo nadzorovati: politika, vreme, gospodarstvo, mnenja drugih ljudi in pretekle napake. 

Negativnost reaktivnih ljudi:

• Pritožujejo se nad okoliščinami, ki so izven njihovega nadzora
• To vpliva na njihovo uspešnost in razpoloženje
• Ne prevzemajo odgovornosti za stvari, ki jih lahko nadzorujejo

Po drugi strani pa imajo proaktivni ljudje drugačno miselnost. Zavedajo se, da imajo nadzor nad svojim življenjem, brez da nanje vpliva njihovo okolje.

Pozitivnost proaktivnih ljudi:

• Ne pritožujejo se nad stvarmi, ki jih ne morejo nadzorovati
• Ohranjajo pozitivne misli 
• Delajo na izboljšanju stvari, ki jih lahko nadzorujejo

Namesto, da bi se ukvarjali z okoliščinami, ki jih ne morejo spremeniti, se proaktivni ljudje ukvarjajo s stvarmi, ki jih lahko nadzorujejo. To so njihov odnos, učne navade, navdušenje, hobiji, s katerimi preživljajo čas in zdrave navade.

2. Začni s koncem v mislih

Covey pravi, da je vse ustvarjeno dvakrat. Najprej v mislih, nato pa v resničnem svetu. Če želiš nekaj doseči, si moraš to najprej predstavljati in nato uresničiti.

To je nasvet za uspešno življenje.

Kako želiš živeti svoje življenje? Kje se vidiš čez 5, 10 ali 15 let? 

Če ne narediš načrta, brezciljno tavaš po življenju brez cilja. Ali pa se morda ukvarjaš s toliko dejavnostmi, da ne opaziš, da tvoj cilj ni več tisto, kar si želiš.

Kako ustvariti to navado

• Vse stvari, ki jih počneš, naj imajo namen
• Ustvari cilje za svoje osebno, poklicno in domače življenje
• Namesto, da se sprašuješ, kaj ti življenje lahko ponudi, se vprašaj, kaj lahko ponudiš ti

3. Postavi pomembne stvari na prvo mesto

Tretja navada Coveya je postavitev pomembnih stvari na prvo mesto. To pomeni, da določiš prioritete, za katere moraš poskrbeti za doseganje svojih ciljev.

Kaj je najpomembnejša stvar v tvojem življenju?

Morda je to tvoj partner, družina, vera, dokončanje diplome ali doseganje kvalifikacije. Najbolj pomembno je, da ne gledaš Facebooka ali Instagrama. Zakaj to postavljamo na prvo mesto, namesto da bi delali tisto, kar je resnično pomembno?

Morda je to tvoj partner, družina, vera, dokončanje diplome ali doseganje kvalifikacije. Najbolj pomembno je, da ne gledaš Facebooka ali Instagrama. Zakaj to postavljamo na prvo mesto, namesto da bi delali tisto, kar je resnično pomembno?

Kako določiti prioritete 

Tradicionalni seznam opravil je predolg in ni ustvarjen po prednostnem vrstnem redu. Tedenski koledar je boljši, vendar prav tako ni popoln.

A better way to prioritise is with a quadrant designed by Covey: 

Success, balance, and growth are found in box 2. The tasks you place under "important but not urgent" are usually neglected but are a valuable use of your time. Your health, fitness, hobbies, family, and planning are all covered here.

4. Think win-win

Win-win is a term most of us are familiar with. Covey suggests that these are the types of relationships we should be looking for. 

Win-win is where both parties benefit from a deal. 

Win-lose, lose-win, and lose-lose, are all poor outlooks. In these situations, you may take more than you give. Consider if you are being selfish in relationships and failing to compromise. Likewise, consider if you are spending too much time with people that take a lot from you but don't provide value in your life.

This is related to having a scarcity mindset: believing that there aren't many choices out there and settling for something subpar. 

Instead, we should have an abundance mindset. We have a large number of excellent options available to us if we have the patience to find them. This works for relationships and business opportunities.

5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood

Covey tells a compelling story to describe this concept. He is having a talk with his son but can't get through to him about some issue they are having. Covey turns to a friend for advice and says, "I just don't understand my son and why he won't listen to me."

The friend said, "you can't understand your son because he won't listen to you? To understand someone, you should listen to them." And this is something to be aware of. Remember to truly listen to someone in order to appreciate where they are coming from.

Everyone has their own experiences in life, their own values, opinions, beliefs, and memories. To understand someone, you must first learn to master empathic listening:

• Think about the other person's perspective 
• Understand how they are feeling 
• Think about why they feel this way
• Make them feel safe to open up to you
• Don't jump to give advice before sympathising

Most people don't listen with the intention of understanding. They listen only with the intent to reply.

6. Synergy

The idea behind synergy is that people bring a unique mix of opinions, ideas, perspectives, and strengths to the table. These should be celebrated and maximised instead of merely tolerated.

An example is when a CEO brings all his department managers and experts together. Each one has a different specialism, unique skills, and a business perspective. A CEO will consider all of his ideas to come up with the most appropriate solution.

In personal relationships, you can use the strengths of each other to face problems and to create amazing memories. Celebrate each other's uniqueness and work together as a team. 

The essence of synergy is to value the differences in others. Appreciating these will encourage a feeling of trust in others, creating openness and more drive to give.

7. Sharpen the saw

Imagine a man cutting a tree with a dull saw. Another man sees this and says, "You should sharpen that saw, otherwise, you will spend six hours cutting that tree."

The other man said, "I don't have time to sharpen the saw."

The onlooker responds, surprised, "If you spend half an hour sharpening your saw, it will only take 3 hours to cut down the tree. You don't have time to not sharpen the saw!"

This example can be applied to ourselves. We are like a saw. To sharpen it, we need to invest in four areas: physical, spiritual, education, and relationships.

To improve the physical:

• Take care of your health
• Attend the gym, play sports, walk more
• Eat a healthy, clean, and wholesome diet
• You only have one body in your life

To improve the spiritual:

• Meditate and pray
• Dedicate time to your faith
• Music and art activities

To improve your education:

• Continue to learn and explore
• Expand your knowledge in your specialisms
• Start learning new skills, new courses, read about a new subject
• Teach others
• Immerse yourself in another culture
• Learn a new language

To improve your relationships:

• Spend time socially
• Strengthen your current relationships
• Make new friends
• Invest in your family

To summarise

Making these seven habits a part of your life will reap the rewards. Instead of just understanding them intellectually, apply them in practice. Live them. Make these habits part of your routine and teach them to others. It will be a challenge at first, but with patience, these ways will help you reach new heights and levels of effectiveness.

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