Become Highly Effective: Habit 2

What We’re Reading - By Stephanie Wharton

The second habit in Stephen Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, builds on the first. The first three habits are designed to move people from dependence to independence. First, be proactive by controlling your responses and taking action to make things happen. Second, begin with the end in mind.

Habit #2: Begin with the End in Mind

Covey starts this chapter by having his readers imagine themselves at their own funeral, listening to various family members and friends speak. His goal is to get us to think about the end of life and about what we want the people closest to us to say. This exercise reveals what actually is most important to us, which should set the context for all of our decisions and actions. He says many people are busy, and possibly efficient, without actually being effective. However, when we do operate with the end in mind, then we can be truly effective.

While the first habit is about having the self-awareness to recognize you can take action to control your responses to situations, this second habit is about how to begin taking those steps. It’s about identifying who you are and what you stand for, and establishing that as the framework for your attitude and actions. My favorite quote from this section is, “People can’t live with change if there’s not a changeless core inside them. The key to the ability to change is a changeless sense of who you are, what you are about, and what you value.”

Covey shares the value of developing a personal mission statement to help clarify these things in your own mind. Each person’s mission statement should reflect the uniqueness of that individual. Take the time to identify your values and the core of who you are. Establish your own personal creed and let that provide the context for each of your actions on a daily basis.