It is a human problem to seek meaning in life. Some search tools show that many people have this same question in their minds. According to Ahref, 11,000 people typed “What should I do with my life?” into Google last month. It means people want answers, and there is one of the ways to find answers: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
I have always recommended a summary on Hubspot to people who haven’t read the book. If you haven’t read it, read that summary and get to work with a pen and paper. It won’t take a day before you understand the whole point in a concise manner. The writer of that summary captures everything so perfectly that you will understand everything in that single article.
However, you might be curious as to why this book is important. And why do so many people find issues with it?
And that’s what you’re about to find out in today’s post.
Why should you read ‘7 Habits Of Highly Effective People’?
If you’re unsure what to do with your life, the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is for you. Many people struggle to find answers. They are into something, but they don’t feel fulfilled in it. Their days are like being a wanderer.
What should I do with my life?
Teenagers often have difficulty making career and life choices, but this book will not help them much because it is written for two categories of people (in my opinion).
Business folks.
Employees.
The book makes more sense if you have an entrepreneurial mindset and want to start your own business. But let’s get into the details of what you should read it.
These are the 7 habits:
- 1. Be proactive – take control of your life. Don’t wait for things to happen. Make it happen..
- 2. Begin with the end in mind – know where you’re going.
- 3. Put first thing first – Know what to prioritize and what to push till later.
- 4. Seek first to understand and then to be understood – learn how to work with people by first listening to them.
- 5. Seek win-win – in every situation or negotiation, try to find an agreement that is a win for both parties.
- 6. Synergize – Find the right people to work with and achieve your dreams faster.
- 7. Sharpen the saw – You have understood what you want to do with your life (habits 2), then equip yourself to get it.
At first, you don’t need to master everything. Honestly, you can’t master it all on the go. But Habits 1, 2, and 3 are great for anyone who is out here and needs answers to “What should I do with my life?”
No one else can answer that for you except you. Stephen Covey, the author of the book, takes you through an activity that will make you pen some answers. You will understand what you want at the end of that powerful exercise. And if you don’t, you will get some clarity about it.
Why you might not like the book
7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey is a great book. But like most good books, some people won’t find it helpful. This is not a bad thing either for the book or for the person who doesn’t see it as a valuable piece.
People Who Hate Self-help Books
If you’re in this category, then it’s possible you won’t like it.
The book looks basic.
“Everyone knows these things,” you’re likely telling yourself.
That’s not true. If everyone knew, the book wouldn’t get many positive ratings. Thousands won’t be asking, “What should they do with my life?”
Secondly, there is a difference between knowing and understanding. There is a difference between understanding and being conscious of the answers as you go through life. And there is a difference between knowing and having materials that delve a little deeper than you have done personally about some of these questions.
People who have read a lot of self-help books.
I don’t read many self-help books but I have read many in the past few years and realize you don’t need many to get ahead. You will need more work and discipline to keep going when the results won’t show up.
After reading many self-help books, you will realize they mostly look similar. Same ideas, different delivery. Therefore, you only need a few of them in a lifetime. The rest of your reading should be fiction and books that focus on particular topics like mathematics, logic, programming, marketing, etc.
I rarely write long reviews for self-help books. This is the first time an entire post has been dedicated to one self-help book. What you will see on the blog are literature books. I did a detailed review of Harry Potter’s first book, too.
So, if you have read many self-help books, you are likely one of those who won’t find the book as helpful as others see it.
But if you can all read like a beginner, like a curious observer, you will find something useful in the pages.
Get A copy of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People on Amazon
If there’s a one-line summary of the book
Create Your Life Plan, Develop The Needed Mindset, and Do the Work Required To Succeed.
The Best Part of The Book: Sharpen The Saw.
I love this part because it’s where the magic happens. It’s about empowering yourself in four key areas: physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally. Think about what you want to achieve and how you can become that person who does it one day at a time.
The story of this blog can help you understand better. I want my income to be as unaffected by my physical presence as much as possible. I want my business to sell itself even when I am not there or doing the marketing. One way to do that is to build a blog, learn SEO, and learn how to code. I have been at all of that and improving those gradually. My web development journey is progressing. My SEO journey is older. This is my example of investing in oneself mentally. After years of writing and working on these things, it builds your mental capacity and equips you with valuable skills. You will feel proud of yourself when you check your mobile device later to see how far you’ve come.
We all have to take the four areas seriously. But again, it’s all up to you and what you decide. This is what the book is all about — that no one can decide anything for you. The book will give you examples and ask you to write your own version.
What can you do to improve your emotional, mental, and physical well-being?
Another reason to love the ‘sharpen the saw’ part is that it defines how you will live your life every day. You’ll realize you’ve started mapping a plan for how you will live your day, starting first with how you will prepare your mornings. Will you make coffee or jump to exercise?
Why Some Organizations Are Obsessed With ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’
This book is actually great for people who can’t decide what they want to do with their life. People who haven’t found what they love yet. So, if an organization can help its employees unlock that part, then the organization will be rewarded with the best working employees.
The organization has to make them see that their employees can make the most of their current jobs. This idea could improve their interest in their jobs. It’s like dealing with someone who doesn’t care about their job, and then you let them see that the job is probably something bigger. Let them see it as a quest to the life they have ever dreamed of. Deniftley, they will put in more effort.
This is why some organizations love the ideas in the book, but there are more reasons for them to love it.
They make an employee think they’re getting more of the job by working harder and smarter.
Now look at habits 4, 5, and 6. They say, ‘seek first to understand,’ ‘synergize,’ and ‘seek win-win.’ These habits are needed inside the organization to survive because you will work with others. If you’re good at these three things, then your organization wins massively through you and the way you work.
But the way it is presented is that being a good employee will set you up for that life you actually want.
Many managers know that a happy and motivated employee is the most important weapon of any company. So, it is a win-win situation for the employee and the organization.
Is ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ A Formula for Success
I have good and bad news.
The good news is that you can change your life if you follow and stick with the ideas for years. They are simple and easy to follow.
It looks pretty straightforward, right? If you become more proactive, you tackle your problems like a pro. If you are clear about what you want to achieve, then you work at the first things first. Investing in yourself is the last part, which also means sharpening the saw.
You can’t do all that for five years without getting somewhere better than where you started.
Just like Santiago said in The Alchemist:
“When I have been truly searching for my treasure every hour has been luminous because every hour has been a part of the dream. When I have been truly searching for my treasure I discover things along the way that I never would have seen had I not had the courage to try things that seemed impossible to achieve.”
The Alchemist.
You can’t work on yourself and work hard with a clear focus on what you want to achieve and lose. Even if you lose all of the things you have worked for, you will have had an answer to one of the biggest questions people don’t answer until they die:
WHAT IF?
And you would have found some solid answers to the popular question, “What should I do with my life?”
The bad news
The bad news is that the book is just a book or material. Someone has to put it to work. It is like nails, a piece of wood, and a hammer. They are great for making furniture, but someone has to pick them up, cut them in sizes, and fit things together.
That person is you.
So, as much as ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ has valuable insights, you have to work at it. You have to do the hard part for years, of course. Think about the part that says sharpen the saw. Let’s say you want to become a better person financially. So, that’s the saw you want to sharpen. Then, let’s say you start a small business, nothing too big to take too much of your time. It might be blogging, affiliate marketing, or something else. Each day, you read business books. Each week, you implement the lessons.
In five years, you either have a successful business or valuable knowledge that will be too hard for anyone to get unless they start something similar and do it for years.
Get A copy of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People on Amazon
Is ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ Worth Reading?
For teenagers, not that much.
For employees and business owners, a big yes.
You will have to sit down and follow through with the exercise, but it will be worth it if you follow all the ideas religiously for some months.
Hello, I am Adekusibe Ogunmokun, a content strategist, SEO specialist, and web developer. I help businesses get more buyers or build their websites. You can reach me on LinkedIn or check my portfolio page for more details.