The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness (The Covey Habits Series)

by Stephen R. Covey

Remember, any time your emotional life is a function of someone else’s weaknesses, you disempower yourself and empower those weaknesses to continue to mess your life up. Again, yesterday holds tomorrow hostage.

1. For the body—assume you’ve had a heart attack; now live accordingly. 2. For the mind—assume the half-life of your profession is two years; now prepare accordingly. 3. For the heart—assume everything you say about another, they can overhear; now speak accordingly. 4. For the spirit—assume you have a one-on-one visit with your Creator every quarter; now live accordingly.

There is great power in viewing people separately from their behavior, for as we do, we affirm their fundamental, unconditional worth.

During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school? Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her fifties, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Before the class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. “Absolutely,” said the professor. “In your careers you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello.” I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.