Humility is the mother of all virtues. Humility says we are not in control, principles are in control, therefore we submit ourselves to principles. Pride says that we are in control, and since our values govern our behavior, we can simply do life our way.
Stephen CoveyPower is the faculty or capacity to act, the strength and potency to accomplish something. It is the vital energy to make choices and decisions. It also includes the capacity to overcome deeply embedded habits and to cultivate higher, more effective ones.
Stephen CoveyWhatever your present situation, I assure you that you are not your habits. You can replace old patterns of self-defeating behavior with new patterns, new habits of the effectiveness, happiness and trust-based relationships.
Stephen CoveyThe creative process is also the most terrifying part because you don't know exactly what's going to happen or where it is going to lead. You don't know what new dangers and challenges you'll find. It takes an enormous amount of internal security to begin with the spirit of adventure, discovery, and creativity. Without doubt, you have to leave the comfort zone of base camp and confront an entirely new and unknown wilderness.
Stephen CoveyThe most effective way I know to begin with the end in mind is to develop a personal mission statement or philosophy or creed. It focused on what you want to be (character) and to do (contributions and achievements) and on the values or principles upon which being and doing are based.
Stephen CoveyAlmost every significant breakthrough is the result of a courageous break with traditional ways of thinking.
Stephen CoveyWithout involvement, there is no commitment. Mark it down, asterisk it, circle it, underline it. No involvement, no commitment.
Stephen CoveyIf you were to fault yourself in one of three areas, which would it be: (1) the inability to prioritize; (2) the inability or desire to organize around those priorities; or (3) the lack of discipline to execute around them? ... Most people say their main fault is a lack of discipline. On deeper thought, I believe that is not the case. The basic problem is that their priorities have not become deeply planted in their hearts and minds. They haven't really internalized Habit 2 [Begin with the end in mind].
Stephen CoveyThe ability to subordinate an impulse to a value is the essence of the proactive person.
Stephen CoveyThe bottom line is, when people are crystal clear about the most important priorities of the organization and team they work with and prioritized their work around those top priorities, not only are they many times more productive, they discover they have the time they need to have a whole life.
Stephen CoveyWe often get so busy "sawing" (producing results) that we forget to "sharpen our saw" (maintain or increase our capacity to produce results in the future).
Stephen CoveyIf I were to summarize in one sentence the single most important principle I have learned in the field of interpersonal relations, it would be this: Seek first to understand, then to be understood. This principle is the key to effective interpersonal communication.
Stephen CoveyConsequences are governed by principles, and behavior is governed by values; therefore, value principles!
Stephen CoveyEffective people do two things: they strive to do excellent work, and they prioritize.
Stephen CoveyOur character is basically a composite of our habits. Because they are consistent, often unconcious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character.
Stephen CoveyWhether or not we belong to a church or service organization or have a job that provides meaningful service opportunities, not a day goes by that we can't at least serve one other human being by making deposits of unconditional love.
Stephen CoveyAll things are created twice. All things. Vision is the first creation. For a house it's called the blueprint. For a life it's called a mission. For a day it's called a goal and a plan. For a parent it's called a belief in the unseen potential of a child. For all, it is the mental creation which always precedes the physical, or second, creation.
Stephen CoveyI win the private victory when I have made my mind up and commit to live by correct principles and to serve worthy purposes.
Stephen CoveyOnce you've found your own voice, the choice to expand your influence, to increase your contribution, is the choice to inspire others to find their voice.
Stephen CoveyWhen air is charged with emotions, an attempt to teach is often perceived as a form of judgment and rejection.
Stephen CoveyPrinciples don't die. They aren't here one day and gone the next. They can't be destroyed by fire, earthquake or theft. Principles are deep, fundamental truths, classic truths.
Stephen CoveyAn abundance mentality springs from internal security, not from external rankings, comparisons, opinions, possessions, or associations.
Stephen CoveyPeople who end up with the good jobs are the proactive ones who are solutions to problems, not problems themselves, who seize the initiative to do whatever is necessary to get the job done.
Stephen CoveyTrust is clearly a key competency. A competency or skill that can be learned, taught, and improved and one that talent can be screened for.
Stephen CoveyYour economic security does not lie in your job; it lies in your own power to produce - to think, to learn, to create, to adapt. That's true financial independence. It's not having wealth; it's having the power to produce wealth.
Stephen CoveyA moment of choice is a moment of truth. It's the testing point of our character and competence.
Stephen CoveyWe must look at the lens through we see the world, as well as the world we see, and that the lens itself shapes how we interpret the world.
Stephen CoveyWhat is important to another person must be as important to you as the other person is to you
Stephen CoveyMost of us think we don't have enough time to exercise. What a distorted paradigm! We don't have time not to. We're talking about three to six hours a week - or a minimum of thirty minutes a day, every other day. That hardly seems an inordinate amount of time considering the tremendous benefits in terms of the impact on the other 162 - 165 hours of the week.
Stephen CoveyThe world has entered an era of the most profound and challenging change in human history.
Stephen CoveyBegin each day with the blueprint of my deepest values FIRMLY in mind then when challenges come, make decisions BASED on those values.
Stephen CoveyWhen you make a commitment to yourself, do so with the clear understanding that you're pledging your integrity.
Stephen CoveyHuman beings are not things needing to be motivated and controlled; they are four dimensional - body, mind, heart, and spirit.
Stephen CoveyEffective leadership is the only competitive advantage that will endure. That's because leadership has two sides- what a person is character and what a person does- competence.
Stephen Covey