The 7 Habits Aftermath

It has been four months since we started the 7 Habits training that lasted for 10 sessions. This makes me wonder, how are the trainees now?

Personally and professionally speaking, 7 Habits by Stephen Covey is some sort of a useful tool for an individual's development. At a certain degree, prior the training, I can claim that I already portray some of the habits, but during and after, I was able to recognize the many flaws I have.

So let's see how I'm doing now.

1. Be Proactive
I still can't manage to get up in the morning to do rounds of jogging. I, however, have been playing badminton for two weeks now and I'm looking forward to do it weekly and more frequently. I stopped yoga classes as recommended by my sister. They have postures that resemble that of a serpent which is quite anti-biblical. I've enrolled for a Nihonggo class as a small part of my plan to add skills. Studying is a bit expensive but I have to allocate funds for it. Reading the Bible is now part of my morning regimen, or any part of the day. Since I tend to dismiss my elders' advice, the Bible makes me realize a myriad of things. Proverbs is a personal favorite. It's a knock in my head, a good reminder for a young adult like me with tendencies of wayward ways. At work, I perform my duties with the zeal to set things right at the first time. I'd be doing myself a big favor of avoiding shit-cleaning later on.

2. Begin With The End In Mind
Okay I tried this. I did this especially in mapping my future mostly in terms of the financial aspect. At the age of 62, if I want to be a Singaporean Dollar Millionaire, I have to put my entire monthly income in the bank! Initial reaction? "Oh, shit." I will have to deal with that later. More important than the moneyz, I'm trying to mend my relationship with my brother and parents which at a certain point had gone sour due to issues I tag as issues of the growing adult and generation gap and stuff like that. Habit 2 is more on recognizing what matters most to you and getting there. And yes, these are a couple of things that really matter to me and yes again, I think I'm getting there! 

3. Put First Things First
Quadrant II activities. Badminton for physical, check. Avoiding the Latte Factor for financial, check. Frequent communication with my parents for emotional, check. Meeting new people and mingling with old ones for social, check. A daily dose of the Bible for spiritual reflections, check. Studying for intellectual, check. Of course, those are just a few of them. To view it as a whole, I still fail at organizing my things. And I have to exert, not just little, but a lot of effort to succeed in this. I need more time for myself than for trivial things.

4. Think Win Win
At work, I guess I apply this habit. I am able to establish good professional relationship with my colleagues and working with them does not give me any headache. Well except for some who are sometimes out of themselves while performing their functions. You have to guide them through and worse, think for them. Yay.
At home, hmm, probably? It is still quite questionable. I must admit, somehow I'm still stubborn. I seriously dislike the thought of confinement in walls of someone else's authority. Does this mean - Habit 4, fail!?

5. Seek First to Understand Than To Be Understood
I thought I am a champion in this. I was wrong. "I understand your point but you have to understand me too. Otherwise, no deal."

6. Synergize
I actually forgot this habit. I really had to Google it because I've given up on decoding my brain to remember it and I'm too lazy to get my book upstairs. To start with, I like arguments and how two parties doing the brainstorm realize that each other has a sensible point. That, I believe, is synergy. I like doing synergy with my dad and with radically minded friends who can appreciate and keep up with my "screwed mind".

7. Sharpen The Saw
Apparently, this is an overall fail - yet.
Just look at these slogans I have set for every aspect of my life. Probably I need to reset my timeline and get it done with serious discipline. Ganbatte!

Physical:  Healthy105-Pound 24-year old
Social: Be loving and be lovable.
Spiritual: Goodness and grace to everyone and everything.
Emotional: Be a home to the people I care.
Financial: No, you can't afford me.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People may sound so "fictional" because for most, it's close to the impossibility of applying it in real life. Change is not achieved overnight yes. Practising the 7 Habits is indeed not an easy feat but seriously, it's worth the try. I myself find it a struggle, but I possess the most important power - the power over myself. And I could start from here to get to where I wanted to be, no matter how long it may take me, no matter how tough it may be.

Gah, I need a million of ganbatte!!!