What are "first things?" First things are those things you, personally, find of most worth. Habit 3 is about life management as well-your purpose, values, roles, and priorities. It deals with many of the questions addressed in the field of time management. It happens day in and day out, moment-by-moment. This habit is where Habits 1 and 2 come together. Habit 3 is the second creation, the physical creation. Beginning with the End in Mind is about vision. Habit 2 is the first, or mental, creation. You're the creator." Being proactive is about choice. All it takes is realizing that it's all right to say no when necessary and then focus on your highest priorities. THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE HABIT 3: PUT FIRST THINGS FIRST To live a more balanced existence, you have to recognize that not doing everything that comes along is okay. You create your own destiny and secure the future you envision. Your mission statement makes you the leader of your own life. It reaffirms who you are, puts your goals in focus, and moves your ideas into the real world. It focuses on what you want to be and do. One of the best ways to incorporate Habit 2 into your life is to develop a Personal Mission Statement. Begin with the End in Mind means to begin each day, task, or project with a clear vision of your desired direction and destination, and then continue by flexing your proactive muscles to make things happen. It's about connecting again with your own uniqueness and then defining the personal, moral, and ethical guidelines within which you can most happily express and fulfill yourself. If you don't make a conscious effort to visualize who you are and what you want in life, then you empower other people and circumstances to shape you and your life by default. The physical creation follows the mental, just as a building follows a blueprint. There is a mental (first) creation, and a physical (second) creation. It is based on the principle that all things are created twice. Habit 2 is based on imagination-the ability to envision in your mind what you cannot at present see with your eyes. If your ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step you take gets you to the wrong place faster. Sometimes people find themselves achieving victories that are empty-successes that have come at the expense of things that were far more valuable to them. Are you-right now-who you want to be, what you dreamed you'd be, doing what you always wanted to do? Be honest. THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE HABIT 2: BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND So, what do you want to be when you grow up? That question may appear a little trite, but think about it for a moment. Gaining an awareness of the areas in which we expend our energies in is a giant step in becoming proactive. Reactive people focus their efforts in the Circle of Concern-things over which they have little or no control: the national debt, terrorism, the weather. They work on the things they can do something about: health, children, problems at work. Proactive people focus their efforts on their Circle of Influence. The problems, challenges, and opportunities we face fall into two areas-Circle of Concern and Circle of Influence. Instead of reacting to or worrying about conditions over which they have little or no control, proactive people focus their time and energy on things they can control. Reactive people believe they are not responsible for what they say and do-they have no choice. A reactive person uses reactive language-I can't, I have to, if only. A proactive person uses proactive language-I can, I will, I prefer, etc. Your language is a good indicator of how you see yourself. One of the most important things you choose is what you say. Between the stimulus and the response is your greatest power-you have the freedom to choose your response. All of these external forces act as stimuli that we respond to. If it isn't, it affects their attitude and performance, and they blame the weather. They find external sources to blame for their behavior. Reactive people, on the other hand, are often affected by their physical environment. Proactive people recognize that they are "response-able." They don't blame genetics, circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. You can't keep blaming everything on your parents or grandparents. Habit 1: Be Proactive is about taking responsibility for your life. And in doing so, it gives you a perfect opportunity to do things differently to produce more positive results. Just remember that every moment, every situation, provides a new choice. THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE HABIT 1 : BE PROACTIVE Your life doesn't just "happen." Whether you know it or not, it is carefully designed by you.
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