First Things First

by Stephen R. Covey

Stephen: At one time, I counseled with a man whose life was totally broken. It was filled with sloppiness and flakiness. He would put in appearances from time to time like a flying fish that would shimmer into the sunlight, then plow back down into a life of procrastination and selfishness, buffeted by all the urgent things that were afflicting him. I began to encourage this man to tap into his unique human endowments and to start in very small ways. I said, “Will you get up in the morning when you say you’re planning to get up? Will you just get up in the morning?” He said, “How is that going to affect everything else?” I said, ‘‘Your body is the only instrument through which you operate in life. If you don’t get control of your body, how can you control the expressions that come through your body and your mind?” So he resolved each night to get up, but then a whole new mentality seemed to overcome him in the morning. He was an absolute slave—he worshipped the mattress. I tried again. “Will you just get up at a certain time for one month?” He said, “I really don’t know if I can.” “Then don’t commit to do it. Your integrity is at stake. As you’ve acknowledged, your life is totally fragmented. You have no internal peace of mind at all. So don’t make a promise and break it. Start smaller. Do you think you could do it for a week?” “Yes, I think I can do it for a week.” “Will you get up at the time you say you’re going to get up for one week?” “I will.” I saw him a week later....