First Things First

by Stephen R. Covey

There are literally an infinite number of questions you could ask.

The creativity that comes when we stop to pause and listen is amazing.

But the more we exercise personal leadership and move into Quadrant II, the more we can feel growth, feel life.

Peace and quality of life come only as we discover and align with the fundamental Laws of Life.

The peace we’re talking about is obviously more than the absence of war. It’s not a retreat into the wilderness to avoid the complexities and conundrums of daily living. The peace we’re talking about is a function of our deep inner life. It’s joyful living. It’s found in the midst of life, not in retreat from it.

Peace is essentially a function of putting first things first.

There are principles. We do have conscience. And those two things make all the difference.

when we see problems as opportunities to help others

Consciously or subconsciously, many of us expect life to be without challenge. As a result, any challenge or problem creates frustration. It doesn’t match the expectation.

Opposition is a natural part of life. Just as we develop our physical muscles through overcoming opposition, such as lifting weights, we develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and adversity.

If our expectation is that there will be challenge, then challenge does not create frustration.

What difference does it make when we expect people to see things differently, when we value that difference, when we anticipate the synergistic use of human endowments to create third-alternative solutions?

Unmet expectations create frustration, but our expectations are within our control. We’re not talking about lowering our expectations, but about basing them on the realities of true north. One of the richest areas for eliminating much of the frustration we experience in our lives is to examine our expectations. Whenever we feel frustrated, we can go back to the root of the problem.