The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Habit 1: Be Proactive 
"Habit 1 is the key to unlocking all the other habits and that's why it comes first. It says, "I am the captain of my life. I can choose my attitude. I'm responsible for my own happiness or unhappiness. I am in the driver's seat of my destiny, not just a passenger."
I'm not sure what proactive is but I agree with being my own boss and me choosing how I behave and how I react. I am also responsible for my happiness but not my unhappiness, that makes me disagree because people make me happy and people also make me unhappy. I am definitely in control of my life and I make sure of that. 





Habit 2: Begin with end in mind
"Control your own destiny or someone else will."
(Jack Welch)
I can relate so much to this quote because I'm the kind of person that likes fantasizing about my future and I'm always planning it out in my head almost every night I imagine where and I what I want to be doing in 5 years like the career that I'll want to have, my future husbands, and the friends I'll want to have.



Habit 3: Put First things First
"Organize and execute around priorities."
I think that yeah putting first things first is important for sure. You have to focus on the important things before you do the other things that aren't even half as important. An example would be focusing on your education more rather than dealing with your rat head boyfriend, especially when you can do so much better than that rat. Just stating facts. 



Habit 4: Think Win-Win
"Think win-win or no deal."
I've almost never been the kind of person to think about both sides being win-win. I think to me if I'm in a good situation the other person loses and I win. Or if I'm in a bad situation, obviously I lose and the other side wins.


Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood
"Diagnose before you prescribe."
I think it actually is important to understand someone before they are able to understand you. That way you have a better understanding of what that person is telling you and it will be exactly the same for you. 


Habit 6: Synergize
"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts(1+1=3)"

I think to synergize means to cooperate with the people around you. I like that but at the same time I don't like that. For one, academically i think it's a good thing because I hate when only one person is doing all the work or when only one person is not doing the work so in that case I like cooperation. But in another scenario when I'm trying to do something myself that nobody else but me understands, it is annoying because I may not want that other person's help or ideas at all.




Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
Four Dimensions of Self-Renewal: Physical, Mental, Spiritual, Social/Emotional

I think sharpen the saw means to outgrow yourself more everyday. For example, mentally if you didn't know how to do a math problem yesterday, maybe today you know how to do it more easily instead of not knowing and keeping it like that, you progressed. In the social/emotional way maybe you're very anti-social, you can improve on getting better at talking to people and feeling less awkward. Emotionally, feeling more happier and positive about things.



Reflection: The 7 habits of highly effective people are being proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think win-win, seek first to understand, then to be understood, synergize, and sharpen the saw. Each habit is very reasonable as to why a highly effective person would do all these habits. I feel like I do apply to most of these habits in different ways. I agree to half of them even though some don't make sense. I will definitely start improving and being more like the 7 habits listed above. 

Six ways to make People Like you. If you want people to like you...

Rule 1: Become genuinely interested in other people.

"Do this and you will be welcome anywhere."
"You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you."
"Ask questions to other people, questions they would enjoy answering."

To start off I don't care if some people don't like me I only care what certain people think about me. I don't like having more friends because I'm very picky about who I want in my life and who I don't. But I would say I'm interested in getting to know some people though it is rare. I don't want to become friends with someone because of how they look, I like to be friends with someone who likes what I like or someone who can make me laugh. If I observe someone and see they have what I'm looking for in a friend then I will talk to them try to get to know them and make them my friend, otherwise I don't care.




Rule 2: Smile
"Actions speak louder than words, and a smile says, "I like you. You make me happy. I am glad to see you. 
"You don't feel like smiling? Then force yourself to smile."
"It creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in a business, and is the countersign (witness or indication) of friends."

I think a smile has a lot of meaning. I agree smiling is good to do around friends. It shows that you feel happy to be around them. I don't agree with forcing yourself to smile though. Sometimes you just have one of those days when you're not feeling okay or people tried to bring you down, so you don't feel like smiling and that should be perfectly fine with your friends. They can try to comfort you, sometimes it helps. They should also respect your privacy if you don't want to talk about your issues. Your friends can also try to make you smile to make you feel better. Not smiling around them when you're feeling down is okay, you don't always have to smile.


Rule 3: Remember names
"A man's name is to him the sweetest and most important sound in any language."
"If you don't remember names, you are headed for trouble."


I think remembering names is very important if you want someone to like you. I have a really good memory so it isn't hard for me to remember names at all. I totally still remember names of people from my elementary and middle school, and I'll remember every one of them. That's just how good I am. I bet when I graduate high school, I'm still going to remember the names of all the people I met here.

How to remember names: 

• Examine their faces as much as you can, try to find an unusual feature
• When you introduce each other ask them to repeat their name more than once

Maybe rewind the conversation you had with that person in your head when you guys first met.

Rule 4: Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.

"If you aspire to be a good conversationalist, be an attentive listener."

"Remember that the man you are talking to is a hundred times more interested in himself and his wants and his problems than he is in you and your problems."

Personally, I think I'm a great listener. I'm always there to listen to my friends and others talk about their problems. I never say a single word, interrupt them, or look away when they're talking to me about something. Even If I'm not interested at all in anything they have to say I will still sit there quietly listening to them talk and paying attention. I feel like that might be why most people like me or think I'm nice because of my listening skills. Sometimes though, I wish they were just as good listeners with me as I am with them when I talk but whatever, it's fine. 

Five steps for Active Listening:
1. Stay Focused: keep natural eye contact, don't judge, and be patient.
2. Really Listen: Don't think about your similar experiences and what you should tell next.
3. Allow for periods of silence: Wait until the other person speaks again.
4. From time to time, repeat the other person's words and paraphrase it back to them. 
5. Understand the emotions behind the words.

Rule 5: Talk in terms of the other man's interest.
"The royal road to a man's heart is to talk to him about the things he treasures most."

I am the type of person that only socializes with people that share the same interests as me. You have to at least share one thing in common with me or we can't be friends, like at all. Not even acquaintances. And the first thing is mention when I start a conversation with a friend, it's about the same things we like because then that way we can laugh and have a great time.



Rule 6: Make the other person feel important--and do it sincerely.
"The desire to be important is the deepest urge in human nature." (John Dewey) "Helping people feel important and appreciated works magic."

I feel like I've always been very encouraging about a person feeling good about themselves. I know I have the ability to make someone feel important and special. I personally think I'm really good at giving compliments to others and making them believe me. Or when they're talking to me about something I can make them feel like they're the only person in the room that I'm talking to.

Reflection: My deepest thoughts and feelings about the six ways to make people like you is that most are accurate and I already do some of the six ways so that should describe why people like me. I will commit to applying to the six rules by continuing to follow them and getting better with each rule as time passes.

Way to Be
9 Ways to be Happy and make something of your Life

                      

                                                                   Gordon B. Hickley



1. Be Grateful 
“Let us be grateful to the people who make us

happy, they are the charming gardeners who 

make our souls blossom."



Being grateful is important because when you have someone or something to make you smile and give you joy, you need to appreciate the people that make you happy when you can't make yourself happy. For example I am so grateful for all the people who I look up to such as my favorite singers and youtubers because they motivate me to live life to the fullest and they bring me right back up when I'm feeling down or I'm at my worst moments.

2. Be Smart

I definitely think being smart can make you happy because if you are smart and educated you feel secure and proud to be intelligent because you can answer other people's questions and you will never be lacking knowledge unlike others. 

3. Be involved in Good Works


It is important to be involved in good works because you don't want to waste your time doing things that are not important and use your time on something that is actually going to help you and be useful of your time

4. Be Clean


I think being clean is not only about hygiene but also yourself as a person being clean, like being organized, and clear of guilt. For example you are clean if you have done nothing that you regret and you are clean if you don't feel like anything is missing in your life. Overall, being clean means you are more likely to be happy with yourself and your surroundings too.

5. Be True



Being true is very important in a person because if you can't be true to yourself and what you believe in then you are living a lie.

6. Be Positive 

Being positive is such an important part of life because what's the point of living if you can't be happy? Life is way too short to think negatively. Instead of being sad and bored all the time, you should do things you like and enjoy. Or try something new that you're interested in. You never really know where you might find happiness and positiveness. Don't hang out with negative people because that may be what's bringing you down. Listen to happy music. Laugh about the funny things. Dance and have fun. These will help you keep a positive attitude. 

7. Be Humble

Being humble is a great quality because when you are too arrogant and self-absorbed, most people actually look down on you instead of looking up at you. I have always been insecure whether it is about my looks, intelligence, or victories. If I got a good result on a test and someone compliments me on it I would say thank you but I hardly studied. That is usually the truth but I'm lowering my own standards because the test could have been corrected wrong. I wouldn't want to seem like I'm bragging either because chances are I did not study and I just got lucky at guessing. Or if you achieved something important you should be grateful not go around telling people how great you are. Stay humble. .

8. Be Still
 
I would say being still means being in a conscious state of mind where nothing distracts you from your own thoughts. What if you are in a dangerous situation like a robbery or shooting or something? The best thing to do would be stay still, calm, and relaxed and figure out exactly what you're going to plan to do. 

9. Be Prayerful 

Reflection: I think that these 9 ways to be happy and make something of my life were very helpful and useful to write about. My deepest thoughts and feelings about these have grown since I started writing about the nine ways like I actually think about it at night and how I'm going to get better in each way. I am going to be grateful by appreciating the things and friends I have. I'm also going to stay grateful by continuing to support my idols in the work that they make for us and buying their things because they always put a smile on my face. 

                              Commitment 

Commitment is being dedicated to a cause, keeping a promise, or the loyalty you keep to someone or something. 

                             
I believe in order to make a strong commitment you have to be loyal and really mean it because if you don't you're going to fail, break your promise and that's going to affect others, not just you.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

                                 Obedience

"The key to freedom is obedience. The more obedient we are, the more freedom we have."

When there is obedience, you follow the right rules and that leads you to so many things, so it leads you to the right path and that path is freedom.

                                   A Smile

    
"We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do."



   

This means that a smile can do many things, for example if someone has a bad day it can make them happy or when you find a person you can fall in love with their smile.                  

                  Decisions determine Destiny



                                                     



Each decision we make leads us closer to our destiny. Whether it is a good one or a bad one. If one morning I decide what career path I want to take (which I already know) it is going to determine my future or destiny.

                                   Caring       

Caring is like showing kindness and concern for others, also looking out for others. 

                              

  I think caring about others actually does take a lot from you. There are certain people in your life that you care for and sometimes you tend to care more for them then care about yourself first and that's not how it should be.         

                                  Attitude 
   
Attitude is the way of thinking or feeling about someone or something.

"Our attitude towards others determines their attitude towards us."

               


I definitely think the kind of attitude we give others is the same attitude we'll get back from them. If we're nice we might receive nice back. If we give mean or inappropriate attitude then we'll get something like that back.
                             

CHOOSE THE RIGHT!!!

Student Success Statement

“Real wealth is not so much what we have as what we are”.

Sterling W. Sill

This is important because money does not represent who we are as humans. Money represents how wealthy we are when it comes to economy and all that stuff. It is we who represent ourselves as humans. It's all about our behavior and our attitude.