There once was a gal introspective,
Not sure what should be her objective.
So into a book, she did take a look
In the hope to renew her perspective.
I am reading a book by sought-after business consultant Stephen Covey, who is often dismissed as dangerous by Christians because he is a Mormon and utilizes "new age" techniques like visualization. Last year I read and loved his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and compared those habits to Biblical principles. This is a reprint from my blog last year, but I thought those of you who are interested in psychology might find this worth a think.
The first habit he recommends we cultivate is "Being Proactive", rather than reactive; meaning, that we have the choice to determine how we will respond in any circumstances, based on our values, rather than our emotions etc. He even names Joseph as a fabulous example of "proactivity", which indeed he is. We are counseled in the scriptures that "As much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men", which makes clear that how we react to something and how we deal with situations is indeed within our control. Jesus Christ was the ideal proactive person, focusing on his goal and not letting himself be dissuaded by what others thought of Him or His mission.
The second habit is "Begin With the End in Mind". In Mr. Covey's perspective this means to determine what your goals and values are, so that you can evaluate your attitudes, your actions and your activities accordingly. In the Christian faith, our end goal is to hear the saviour say to us, "Well done, good and faithful servant"
The third habit is "Putting First Things First", and Mr. Covey points out how all activities in life fall into one of four categories:
1) Urgent and Important
2) Important, Not Urgent
3) Urgent, Not Important
4) Not Important, Not Urgent
He points out how many people spend much of their lives involved in activities from sections 3 and 4, rather than organizing their time so that section 2 activities take precedence. So many of us are controlled by the tyranny of the unimportant urgent and the unimportant unurgent, although if asked, we would say our priorities are different. Biblically, to avoid doing this is to redeem the time.
Habit 4 is to "Think Win/Win". By this Mr. Covey means that we should seek to find solutions to issues and problems in which everyone benefits, rather than having a competitive view of life and relationships. "Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others".
Habit 5 is "Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood". This was a very convicting chapter for me, as Mr. Covey points out how so often when we talk with others, we are not really *listening* to understand what the person is saying from their perspective. We are listening in order to respond, listening in order to advise from our own perspective. I do this much too often, and learning to really listen is definitely included in the outline of "Dying to Self", because you are seeking to be a servant to that person who is speaking to you by taking the focus completely off yourself and putting it on them and their needs.
The 6th habit is "Synergize", which means that when people work together, what is produced is greater than the sum of its parts. I was reminded of the picture we are given in the Scriptures of the Body of Christ.
Habit 7 is "Sharpen the Saw", which simply means to periodically renew oneself through rest, prayer and wholesome recreation. Think fellowship. Think nutrition. Think prayer, reading, planning. This is to avoid burnout, and the Scriptures speak of this as "refreshment".
I will be going through his book, First Things First, on my own blog over the next few days and/or weeks, so if any of you are interested in looking deeply at your life and your purpose, feel free to join me.
