SUMMARY OF FIRST HABIT (BE PROACTIVE) BY ELISHBA


IT IS AN ACCURATE SELF-MAP FROM WHICH HE BEGAN TO DEVELOP THE FIRST AND MOST BASIC HABIT OF A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PERSON IN ANY ENVIRONMENT, THE


HABIT OF PRO ACTIVITY. WHILE THE WORD PRO ACTIVITY IS NOW FAIRLY COMMON IN MANAGEMENT LITERATURE, IT IS A WORD YOU WON'T FIND IN MOST DICTIONARIES. IT MEANS MORE THAN MERELY TAKING INITIATIVE. IT MEANS THAT AS HUMAN BEINGS, WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR OWN LIVES. OUR BEHAVIOUR IS A FUNCTION OF OUR DECISION, NOT OUR CONDITIONS. WE CAN SUBORDINATE FEELINGS TO VALUES.


TAKING THE INITIATIVE

TAKING INITIATIVE DOES NOT MEAN BEING PUSHY, OBNOXIOUS , OR AGGRESSIVE. IT DOES MEAN RECOGNIZING OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN.

THE SOCIAL MIRROR


IF THE ONLY VISION WE HAVE OF OURSELVES COMES FROM THE SOCIAL MIRROR- FROM THE CURRENT SOCIAL PARADIGM AND FROM THE OPINIONS, PERCEPTIONS, AND PARADIGMS OF THE PEOPLE AROUND US- OUR VIEW OF OURSELVES IS LIKE REFLECTION IN THE CRAZY MIRROR ROOM AT THE CARNIVAL.


THERE ARE ACTUALLY THREE SOCIAL MAPS.

1. GENETIC DETERMINISM

2.PSYCHIC DETERMINISM

3.ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINISM


LISTENING TO OUR LANGUAGE

BECAUSE OUR ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS FLOW OUT OF OUR PARADIGMS, IF WE USE OUR SELF-AWARENESS TO EXAMINE THEM, WE CAN OFTEN SEE IN THEM THE NATURE OF OUR UNDERLYING MAPS.OUR LANGUAGE, FOR EXAMPLE, IS VERY REAL INDICATOR OF THE DEGREE TO WHICH WE SEE OURSELVES AS PROACTIVE PEOPLE. THE LANGUAGE OF REACTIVE PEOPLE ABSOLVES THEM OF RESPONSIBILITY. THAT LANGUAGE COMES FROM A BASIC PARADIGM OF DETERMINISM.


CIRCLE OF CONCERN


ANOTHER EXCELLENT WAY TO BECOME MORE SELF-AWARE REGARDING OUR OWN DEGREE PF PRO ACTIVITY IS TO LOOK AT WHERE FOCUS OUR TIME AND ENERGY. WE EACH HAVE A WIDE RANGE OF CONCERNS- OUR HEALTH, OUR CHILDREN, PROBLEMS AT WORK, THE NATIONAL DEBT, NUCLEAR WAR. WE COULD SEPARATE THOSE FROM THINGS IN WHICH WE HAVE NO PARTICULAR MENTAL OR EMOTIONAL INVOLVEMENT BY CREATING A "CIRCLE OF CONCERN."

CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE

AS WE LOOK AT THOSE THINGS WITHIN OUR CIRCLES OF CONCERN, IT BECOMES APPARENT THAT THERE ARE SOME THINGS OVER WHICH WE HAVE NO REAL CONTROL AND OTHERS THAT WE CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT. WE COULD IDENTIFY THOSE CONCERNS IN THE LATTER GROUP BR CIRCUMSCRIBING THEM WITHIN A SMALLER CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE. BY DETERMINING WHICH OF THESE TWO CIRCLES IS THE FOCUS OF MOST OF OUR TIME AND ENERGY, WE CAN DISCOVER MUCH ABOUT THE DEGREE OF OUR PRO ACTIVITY.

EXPANDING THE CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE

IT IS INSPIRING TO REALIZE THAT IN CHOOSING OUR RESPONSE TO CIRCUMSTANCE, WE POWERFULLY AFFECT OUR CIRCUMSTANCE. WHEN WE CHANGE ONE PART OF THE CHEMICAL FORMULA, WE CHANGE THE NATURE OF THE RESULTS.

MAKING AND KEEPING COMMITMENTS

AT THE VERY HEART OF OUR CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE IS OUR ABILITY TO MAKE AND KEEP COMMITMENTS AND PROMISES. THE COMMITMENTS WE MAKE TO OURSELVES AND TO OTHERS, AND OUR INTEGRITY TO THOSE COMMITMENTS, IS THE ESSENCE AND CLEAREST MANIFESTATION OF OUR PRO ACTIVITY. IT IS ALSO THE ESSENCE OF OUR GROWTH. THROUGH OUR HUMAN ENDOWMENTS OF SELF-AWARENESS AND CONSCIENCE, WE BECOME CONSCIOUS OF AREAS OF WEAKNESS, AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT, AREAS OF TALENT THAT COULD BE DEVELOPED, AREAS THAT NEED TO BE CHANGED OR ELIMINATED FROM OUR LIVES. THEN, AS WE RECOGNIZE AND USE OUR IMAGINATION AND INDEPENDENT WILL TO ACT ON THAT AWARENESS - MAKING PROMISES, SETTING GOALS, AND BEING TRUE TO THEM- WE BUILD THE STRENGTH OF CHARACTER, THE BEING, THAT MAKES POSSIBLE EVERY OTHER POSITIVE THING IN OUR LIVES.