First Things First

by Stephen R. Covey

The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.

What is the one activity that you know if you did superbly well and consistently would have significant positive results in your personal life? What is the one activity that you know if you did superbly well and consistently would have significant positive results in your professional or work life?

1. Improving communication with people 2. Better preparation 3. Better planning and organizing 4. Taking better care of self

5. Seizing new opportunities 6. Personal development 7. Empowerment

quality relationships are built on principles—especially the principle of trust. And trust grows out of trustworthiness, out of the character to make and keep commitments, to share resources, to be caring and responsible, to belong, to love unconditionally.

See how consequences flow from root causes. See how results can be traced to paradigms, processes, and habits.

If you make a commitment to yourself or to someone else, write about the way you use your independent will to carry it out. If you commit to exercise four times a week, evaluate the factors that empowered you to do it—or explore the reasons why you didn’t. Was your commitment halfhearted, hasty, or unrealistic? Was “mind over mattress” too great a challenge for your current level of independent will?

to read over your experiences of past weeks, months, or years, you gain invaluable insight into repeating patterns and themes in your life.

But if we stop and search deeply with an honest heart, we can tap into that inner wellspring of wisdom.

When we fail to act in harmony with our inner voice, we begin to build a wall around the conscience that blocks its sensitivity and receptivity.

Our security doesn’t come from the way people treat us or in comparing ourselves to others. It comes from our basic integrity.

One of the best ways to strengthen our independent will is to make and keep promises. Each time we do, we make deposits in our Personal Integrity Account. This is a metaphor that describes the amount of trust we have in ourselves, in our ability to walk our talk.

“The greatest battles we fight are in the silent chambers of our own souls.”

What is quality of life if it isn’t spending time with the people you love most?

The commitments we make in a moment of enthusiasm don’t have the sustaining power to carry us all the way to successful achievement of our goals. The key to motivation is motive. It’s the “why.” It’s what gives us the energy to stay strong in hard moments. It gives us the strength to say “no” because we connect with a deeper “yes!” burning inside.

Health experts say that to achieve the “training effect,” you need to invest at least thirty minutes three times a week in vigorous exercise, and rest the body between workouts. Emphasizing physical renewal on those three days will have a more positive effect than faithfully spending fifteen minutes a day doing light exercise.