Daily Reflections For Highly Effective People
Daily Reflections For Highly Effective People
By Stephen Covey
Below are just a select few of daily reflections and inspirational thoughts from the book “Daily Reflections For Highly Effective People” for living the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People which was named the #1 Most Influential Business Book of the Twentieth Century .
The Seven Habits are not a set of separate or piecemeal psyche-up formulas -- In harmony with the natural laws of growth - they provide an incremental - sequential - highly integrated approach to the development of personal and interpersonal effectiveness -- They move us progressively on a Maturity Continuum from dependence to independence to interdependence -- p48-49
The book can be purchased at most bookstores, or online at
#1 Be Proactive
#2 Begin With The End In Mind
#3 Put First Things First
#4 Think Win/Win
#5 Seek First To Understand Then To Be Understood
#6 Synergize
#7 Sharpen The Saw
Dependence is the paradigm of you -- you take care of me - you come through for me -- you didn't come through - I blame you for the results -- Dependent people need others to get what they want -- p49
Independence is the paradigm of I -- I can do it -- I am responsible -- I am self-reliant -- I can choose -- Independent people can get what they want through their own effort --p49
Interdependence is the paradigm of we -- We can do it -- We can cooperate -- We can combine our talents and abilities and create something greater together -- Interdependent people combine their own efforts with the efforts of others to achieve their greatest success -- p49
Effective Interdependence can only be built on a foundation of true independence -- p185
If we want to change a situation, we first have to change ourselves -- And to change ourselves effectively - we first have to change our perceptions -- p18
Albert Einstein observed - " The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them" -- p42
The way we see the problem - is the problem -- p40
Effective People are not problem-minded -- they're opportunity-minded -- They feed opportunities and starve problems -- p154
Paradigms are powerful because they create the lens through which we see the world -- The power of a paradigm shift is the essential power of quantum change - whether that shift is an instantaneous or a slow and deliberate process -- p32
We must look at the lens through which we see the world - as well as at the world we see - and understand that the lens itself shapes how we interpret the world -- p17
We simply assume that the way we see things is the way they really are or the way they should be - And our attitudes and behaviors grow out of those assumptions -- p24
Each of us has many - many maps in our head - which can be divided into two main categories: maps of the way things are, or realities -- and maps of the way things should be - or values -- We interpret everything we experience through these mental maps -- p24
Our character - basically - is a composite of our habits -- Because they are consistent - often unconscious patterns - they constantly daily - express our character and produce our effectiveness ........ or ineffectiveness -- p46
You are NOT your habits -- You CAN replace old patterns of self defeating behavior with new patterns - new habits of effectiveness - happiness and trust-based relationships -- p61
Highly Proactive People recognize their "respons-ability -- the ability to choose their response -- They do not blame circumstances - conditions - or conditioning for their behavior -- their behavior is a product of their own conscious choice - based on values - rather than a product of their conditions - based on feeling -- p71
Reactive People focus on circumstances over which they have no control -- the negative energy generated by that focus - combined with neglect in areas they could do something about - causes their Circle of Influence to shrink -- p83
Proactive People focus their efforts on the things they can do something about -- the nature of their energy is positive - enlarging - and magnifying causing their Circle of Influence to increase -- p83
Whatever is at the center of our life will be the source of our security - guidance - wisdom and power -- p109
Recognized as one of Time magazine’s twenty-five most influential Americans, Stephen R. Covey (1932–2012) was an internationally respected leadership authority, family expert, teacher, organizational consultant, and author. His books have sold more than twenty-five million copies in thirty-eight languages, and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was named the #1 Most Influential Business Book of the Twentieth Century. After receiving an MBA from Harvard and a doctorate degree from Brigham Young University, he became the cofounder and vice chairman of FranklinCovey, a leading global training firm.
The book can be purchased at most bookstores, or online at
The Central Bank reassures depositors: No bank failures... and liquidity exceeds 60%
Baghdad Today - Baghdad The Central Bank of Iraq reassured depositors on Saturday (September 5, 2026) about the safety of the banking sector, stressing that “imposing supervisory or guardianship committees on a licensed bank does not mean its bankruptcy, but rather comes within the framework of precautionary and legal supervisory measures aimed at protecting the rights of depositors and ensuring the stability of banking operations.”