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    Habit 1 Be Proactive: The Habit of Choice
    Habit 1 Be Proactive: The Habit of Choice
    Habit 1 Be Proactive: The Habit of Choice
    Audiobook1 hour

    Habit 1 Be Proactive: The Habit of Choice

    Written by Stephen R. Covey

    Narrated by Stephen R. Covey

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    A Simon & Schuster audiobook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every listener.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateJan 1, 2012
    ISBN9781442350892
    Habit 1 Be Proactive: The Habit of Choice
    Author

    Stephen R. Covey

    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.

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    Reviews for Habit 1 Be Proactive

    4/5

    2,572 ratings69 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This could have been shortened quite a bit. I read this decades after it was first published, so I can't say whether some of this was basic stuff, or that it influenced so many others that it was the actual innovator. I will say the synergy chapter was week.
      I will review and write down what I need from this for review over the years.
    • 2/5
      Hmmm .. not quite what I expected, but a good reminder.
    • 4/5
      I was given this book by my mother for a graduation gift. Then she actually made me read it before I left for college. Great motivational book on who to be successful in every endeavor of life. Most like overdue for a re-read.
    • 3/5
      Summary: A grab bag of good advice on how to get your life organised

      Things that were good:

      * Several of the ideas in this book have stuck with me and continued to be referenced throughout my career/personal life

      Things that could have been better:

      From memory, it comes off as a bit Christian/family-values which might turn a few people off. Perhaps he could have de-emphasized some of those elements to make the book more relatable for people that don't share his background.


      Highlight: Emotional bank account is probably one of the ideas that I've got the most leverage out of.
    • 4/5
      Really good self-improvement guide.
    • 5/5
      Without a doubt, this is one of the best books I have ever read.
    • 4/5
      Although many people discount this book for being based on pedestrian examples, I found the core meaning quite good. If you ignore the out of date metaphors and relationships represented in the book, I think a lot can be understood.
    • 5/5
      Learned how valuable time is wasted on things that seem urgent, but not important. Now I manage my time along the principles in this book. I allocate time based on my values and goals and less on the demands of others--far, far less on those who don't value my time.
    • 4/5
      I read this because I saw this as one of the central works in thinking about management and leadership. The content is engaging and in my opinion the advice in general enough form to be sound.
    • 2/5
      (original review, 2004)


      "To learn and not to do is really not to learn. To know and not to do is really not to know."

      "Love is a verb. Love – the feeling – is the fruit of love the verb or our loving actions. So love her. Sacrifice. Listen to her. Empathize. Appreciate. Affirm her."

      "At some time in your life, you probably had someone believe in you when you didn't believe in yourself."

      In “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey


      The above-mentioned quotes are some of the pearls of wisdom we can find in the book.


      There's a story, probably apocryphal, about an Amazonian tribe's reaction to a group of Westerners (possibly miners or farmers or similar) who had created a settlement close to their village some time in the 1960s. The settlers built a makeshift runway, and the tribe watched from afar in amazement as, shortly after the runway was complete, a plane arrived carrying supplies. The tribe immediately set about building a runway beside their village, believing that once it was complete, a plane would arrive on it with supplies. They had a long, fruitless wait. Obviously, there's a lot that doesn't ring true about this story, however it illustrates well the fruitlessness of adopting other people's actions in the hope of replicating their results, without really sharing or understanding their motivations. Presumably most of the rituals described above have one thing in common; they're the author's own.That's why they worked, they were what the author genuinely felt worked for them, they weren't adopted in an attempt to recreate the conditions of someone else's success. I've a creative friend who drinks whisky in the mornings when he's writing, because that's what Hunter S. Thompson did. He is not and never will be anything like Hunter S. Thompson. The overarching advice from this book should be: find your OWN rituals and routines. Forget about crappy books like these.

      A friend of mine used to say he could write at any time of the day or night, but there came a point - after about three hours - when he didn't achieve much more by working longer. The best time, he said, is early morning, 5 or 6am. He could look again at something that seemed hard to write the previous evening, and suddenly everything just fell into place... As for myself, I can write any time I'm awake, but nobody would want to read it. Seriously now, I have realised that my most creative and productive hours are 3 -6 am. This is when my genius will fizz and pop, worlds are created, and my art manifests itself, seemingly without effort. At these magical hours, I will become a conduit for creative forces beyond my ken. At this special time, unfortunately, I always seem to be unconscious and dribbling, stretched out amongst bottles, filth and pools of damp...

      But at the end, don't forget that: "quod natura non dat, Salmantica non praestat". Who could ever forget that...?LOL
    • 2/5
      The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - What a friggin' snoozefest full of tautologies, mis-quoted quotes by famous people, and the most painfully boring, rambling anecdotes.
    • 5/5
      I've read this book so many times - it's a really good combination of professional and personal development. Examples are a teensy bit dated, but the principles are universal and evergreen. I'll read it again.
    • 4/5
      This book was important for me because it inspired me when I was becoming a coach. It also reinforces the important lessons about the importance of discipline in becoming successful.
    • 2/5
      Not a big fan of either mormons or their management books. Not as badly written as the out of the box book, but the constant harping on about church, and higher callings is really offputting.
      Im not sure I agree with his ideas, and some of them are so common sense I find it hard to believe that they are sold under such great fanfare.
    • 5/5
      This version of The 7 Habits was the first of many, many iterations that Stephen Covey published under the 7 Habits umbrella. No doubt due to the success of the franchise. As a self-help reader I can vouch for the worth of the original though I have not read any of the others.

      It's too easy to scoff at the habits as obvious, just as it's too easy to scoff at self-help in general. Actions speak louder than words, and putting habits like Covey's into practice is hard work. If you're curious about self-help, or maybe a little skeptical about its usefulness, then I recommend starting here.
    • 4/5
      There's some solid advice here. Even if Covey was a Morman, and there is a bit in this book about "natural laws" as set up by God. I still think there's some useful tools in the 7 habits. I feel I got something good out of this book, especially about seeking first to understand.
    • 3/5
      Just got back from a great, short trip to Ankara where I've secured housing for my family. But my departure coincided with the end of a road trip and family reunion in Chicago which means I had time to knock out a couple more books before New Years.

      7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey. I had never read Covey's book, but I assume that almost everyone I know who has held some type of leadership or management position has read it as it's probably the all-time bestselling management/leadership book and easily one of the most influential.

      The Seven Habits:
      1. Be Proactive - means not blaming others for your circumstances but owning up to them yourself.
      2. Begin with the End in Mind - Character matters and underlies everything else. You should have a mission statement that sets out your goal. Each day you "flex your proactive muscles" to make it happen.
      3. Put First Things First - Tasks fall into one of four categories and you should focus on the ones that are important but not necessarily urgent. That will help guide your organization and keep things from becoming important and urgent, ie: a crisis.
      4. Think Win-Win - Negotiate hard. It's a little like Adam Smith or David Ricardo's idea that two parties don't enter a transaction unless both benefit. So, maximize your benefit and make sure the other party feels it is winning too.
      5. Seek First to Understand, Then be Understood - This helps generate Win-Win, and is a basic sales technique. Don't expect to get what you want without respecting the other party's wants.
      6. Synergize - Be an effective leader that fosters teamwork and brings out the best in everyone. It's more than the whole being greater than the sum of its parts, but that's the basic idea.
      7. Sharpen the Saw - Take time to rest and do activities that improve your physical health and spiritual well-being.

      I don't know how many hundreds of books are out there that have built on Covey's concepts. There are a lot of basic, timeless truths that he puts simply and I guess that's why this book is so hugely popular. I'd like to put him in a room with Frederick Taylor and see how it goes.

      Reading this book tempts me to size up leaders of organizations by how well they follow the seven habits. I like thinking about the first three the best, particularly in evaluating my time management. Is what I'm doing right now important, and how urgent is it?

      I give it 3.5 stars.
    • 5/5
      This book has something for everyones self development. Do you want to remake yourself into a better person, improve your relationship with a spouse, develop better communication skills with you kids, refine your business expertise, enhance your leadership capabilities, prioritize your life, I could go on and on. To quote the book, you learn, that the gate to change can only be opened from the inside. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is very well written, There are stories, examples, forms, diagrams and even interactive areas within the book to help you understand concepts. The book breaks down how to be effective in whatever goal you choose. You learn how to prioritize, expand listening skills (great to help you understand your children and spouse), why you must admit mistakes, and how what you say impacts others. By the end of the book you will understand how to develop good attitudes and a winning behavior. I highly recommend his book.
    • 4/5
      هو كتاب يتحدث عن الاعتماد على الذات وركز على سبع مبادىء اذا طبقهم الشخص فقد تساعدة على ان يكون شخصاً أكثر فعالية ، كما أكد الكاتب على أنه من الممكن تحقيق ذلك عن طريق المداومة هذه المبادئ تمنحنا الأمان بالتكيف مع التغيير إلى جانب الحكمة والقدرة على الإفادة من الفرص التي يتيحها التغيير يعد هذا الكتاب "العادات السبع للناس الأكثر فعالية"، من أكثر الكتب مبيعاً في أميركا وذلك لما يعرضه المؤلف من معالجات شاملة متكاملة وواضحة المبدأ تساعد في حل المشاكل الشخصية والمهنية وفي كل مرة تعيد قراءة هذا الكتاب تكتشف رؤية ثاقبة جديدة مما برهن على ما ينطوي عليه من دعوات تتميز بالعمق والرسوخ. إن رشاقة الأسلوب، والفهم العميق لأغوار الاهتمامات البشرية، ومدى احتياجنا إليه في أمورنا التنظيمية والشخصية، تجعل هذا الكتاب الرائع جدير بأن يغير مجرى حياتك.

      Is a book that talks about self-reliance and focused on the seven principles if Tabatha person has to help him be more effective people, as the author emphasized that it is possible to achieve this by pollutants such principles give us the security to adapt to change, along with the wisdom and the ability to take advantage of opportunities offered by the change is the book "the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," a best seller in America books, so why presented by the author of an integrated and clear principle comprehensive treatments help in solving personal and professional problems and each time re-read this book discover new insight into the vision which proved it entails invitations featuring depth and firmness. The agile method, and deep understanding of the depths of human concerns, and how we need to in organizational and personal things for us, make this a wonderful book deserves to alter the course of your life.
    • 5/5
      .كتاب ممتاز يتحدث عن العادات السبع الافضل التي يجب على كل شخص العمل بها ليكون من الاشخاص الناجحين والمؤثرين والفاعلين في حياتهم العملية وتكوين مستقبل أفضل
      فأنصح الجميع بقراءتة وهومن الكتب المشهورة جدا .


      Excellent book about the seven habits is better that each person should work out to be successful and influential actors and people in their working lives and a better future
      I advise everyone to read it and Humen very famous books.
    • 1/5
      started off okay but descended into tedious bullshit
    • 4/5
      Great book with valuable, motivating info. A little heavy on the case studies, but otherwise very helpful.
    • 5/5
      Wonderful! Very practical, and useful, personally applicable.
    • 3/5
      I've been working an a pair of books and this might be an interesting read for character types.
    • 5/5
      Deserved Classic

      I somehow managed to miss this one. So far, it's really thought-provoking. I'm a big believer in taking responsibility for your own life, so lots of it is resonating with me.

      Update: finished it yesterday. Some real pearls of wisdom here. I'm already putting some of the listening techniques to good use. A bit repetitive in places, but I can see why it's a classic.
    • 3/5
      THis audio book was well produced, but like many of these self-help type books, if this is really your cup of tea, you'd probably be better off with the dead tree version.
    • 3/5
      Good information on becoming a successful person. Covey covers habits that can help anyone in either their personal or professional life. The only issues I have with the book is the use of metaphors, anecdotes, and the over-all verbosity. I would have appreciate the book more as a tool if he had kept it simple.
    • 2/5
      My dad recommended this to me as a must-read. It had been a revelation for him. But contrary to my dad, who has been a teacher all his life, I've been working in corporate serfdom up to now. And I've been exposed to too many corporate seminars, away days, retreats and other HR outings to find anything in this book a revelation. Maybe all those well-meaning presenters got their input from this very book (in fact, I suspect that a large part of them did), and so I maybe should have read it earlier in my life for me to find it useful. I'd recommend it to people between 25 and 35 who work in large professional environments and score relatively low on emotional intelligence (that would have been me, back in the day). Being over 40, I found the book had a handful of good ideas, but those were eclipsed by the author's style, which I found a little repetitive, trite and sanctimonious. As it stands, I got my main life lessons not from self-help books like this, but from walls (by butting my head repeatedly into them, a slightly more unpleasant but fairly efficient learning method).
    • 4/5
      A great book. It invites us to think deeply about our goal in life and cultivate habits that will aid us in achieving it across all our life roles.
    • 5/5
      I deduct a half-star because the word paradigm makes me itch, but I would have to grant that it is in some sense the very type of a life-altering book. You could definitely trim some fat and read it in "princess bride, the good parts" mode though.