Habits of Highly Effective People

¶ … Habits of Highly Effective People

Covey's seventh habit of highly effective people includes a set of principles for healthy living. The author calls the habit "sharpening the saw," because the work involves honing the body and mind toward achieving one's goals. I found this seventh habit extremely effective in motivating me to change. Covey's advice was compelling because of its focus on lifestyle habits and spirituality, rather than on only intellectual thought. Yet far from being New Age fluff, the advice that Covey offers is simple yet constructive. For example, he suggests that readers meditate and exercise and be more consciously proactive when dealing with others. However, the advice her offers isn't clocked in mystical language. He puts forth spiritual growth as one component of becoming one of the "effective people." The seventh habit, the "principles of balanced self-renewal," encapsulates ideas from the previous six and promotes an idea of a whole person.

The principles of balanced self-renewal include attention to physical, social, mental, and spiritual levels of our being. On the physical level, Covey advises regular exercise. I completely concur with what Covey has to say about regular exercise because I have experienced first hand the benefits of regular exercise. Exercise is one of those habits that needs to be cultivated on a subconscious level. Unless exercise becomes as regular and integral to our lives as eating, we will tend to make exercise a low priority. However, exercise can rasie our spirits, as Covey implies, and it really is an essential component of being an effective and healthy person. Exercise helps us be in touch with our bodies so that we can regulate our appetites and exercise keeps us healthy, strong, and flexible.

Covey also encourages people to keep their minds active. Personally, I have no problem with this step because school has kept my mind active for a long time. Being young I don't worry at all about losing my mental faculties. At the same time, I know that I don't use my brain as much as I could. If I can get by with less effort I will do as little as possible. Because I take for granted the powers of my brain and mind, I found this section highly effective in waking me up. Mental exercise is as important as physical exercise in "sharpening the saw." In fact, the metaphor Covey uses to describe this chapter becomes apparent when applied to mental exercise. The only gripe I had with reading Covey's chapter is his subtle Christian bias, but I understand that authors let their personal beliefs bleed into their writings, and I also know that the audience he writes for may be largely Christian. It would be interesting to debate others on this point, to see how people reacted to Covey's Christian voice.

The most remarkable portion of the chapter is Covey's explanation of sharpening the saw through common-sense spiritual exercise. The way Covey presents meditation makes an otherwise daunting practice seem approachable and doable. The author frames meditation as being another form of exercise, balance, and self-renewal, not as something reserved for mystics and yogis. After reading the chapter, it is easy to see how and why meditation can be incorporated into a regular regime of self-improvement. Not being so familiar with practicing meditation, I realized that the act involves little more than self-discipline, which is in itself a valuable habit to cultivate.

The next essential component of sharpening the saw is to develop healthy interpersonal relationships. I found this portion of Covey's chapter to be the most inspiring of all of them because how difficult interpersonal relationships can be. To sharpen the saw in the social arena, we need to reexamine some of Covey's other principles, mainly being proactive in our conversations and interactions. For example, instead of arguing and calling another person names, we can examine acknowledge feeling angry without having an outburst. Covey notes that emotions play a major role in our social interactions. Some of the most avoidable conflicts are those that stem from bruised egos and other situations in which one person has the power and potential to extricate themselves in order to promote peace. In fact, the social arena is where we can apply all the other habits and immediately reap the benefits. Being proactive and positive in our interpersonal interactions means dealing with conflict with an open heart and an open mind, and learning something in the process.

A found this chapter to be one of the most accessible and approachable of the seven habits that Covey prescribes in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Because the chapter summarizes much of the wisdom contained in prior chapters, I found it to almost serve as a summary. Also, I appreciated the way that the author placed spirituality in perspective, as an essential component for healthy, effective living. Relating to others and to ourselves involves a set of practices, behaviors, attitudes, and value changes.