The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

by Stephen R. Covey

Let me share with you an interesting PC experience I had with one of my daughters. We were planning a private date, which is something I enjoy regularly with each of my children. We find that the anticipation of the date is as satisfying as the realization. So I approached my daughter and said, “Honey, tonight’s your night. What do you want to do?” “Oh, Dad, that’s okay,” she replied. “No, really,” I said. “What would you like to do?” “Well,” she finally said, “what I want to do, you don’t really want to do.” “Really, honey,” I said earnestly, “I want to do it. No matter what, it’s your choice.” “I want to go see Star Wars,” she replied. “But I know you don’t like Star Wars. You slept through it before. You don’t like these fantasy movies. That’s okay, Dad.” “No, honey, if that’s what you’d like to do, I’d like to do it.” “Dad, don’t worry about it. We don’t always have to have this date.” She paused and then added, “But you know why you don’t like Star Wars? It’s because you don’t understand the philosophy and training of a Jedi Knight.” “What?” “You know the things you teach, Dad? Those are the same things that go into the training of a Jedi Knight.” “Really? Let’s go to Star Wars!” And we did. She sat next to me and gave me the paradigm. I became her student, her learner. It was totally fascinating. I could begin to see out of a new paradigm the whole way a Jedi Knight’s basic philosophy in training is manifested in different circumstances. That experience was not a pla...