Seven habits

The seven habits are a set of habits or principles outlined by Stephen Covey in his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People that, when applied, he claims will bring a person greater success by aligning himself with true north principles[?].

The seven habits include:

1. Be Proactive[?], or do everything in your power in each situation so that things will come out well.

2. Begin with the End in Mind[?], or use your creativity to imagine how things could and should be.

3. Put First Things First[?], or prioritize the things in your life, setting aside time first for the most important things, or those things that relate to long-term growth and success, and let the more pressing, immediate, but less important things get what's left.

4. Think Win-Win[?], as opposed to win-lose, looking for creative solutions that get to the roots of problems.

5. Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood[?], or listening to those around you before you try to teach them, as a person won't listen to you if he thinks that you don't understand him and/or don't care about him.

6. Synergize[?], a word that Covey uses to mean work together in new, unexpected ways.

7. Sharpen the saw[?], or do things for personal growth, self renewal, and continually improving in the areas outlined by the other six habits.

The first three habits are designed to take a person from dependence[?] to independence, or the ability of a person do do things for himself. Mastering the second three relate to interdependence[?], or the ability of a person to align his own needs and desires to those around him. The last habit encompasses all of the others.