Stephen Covey- An Overview of the 7 Habits- Chapter1

Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny," is exactly what happens.

Who we are and the type of character we are comes from a combination of all our habits. Our habits express to the world what our deep to the core character is.

Dont say I didnt warn you. Habits such as procrastination, selfishness and impatience as an example are not easily altered. You have to want to change and it will take bravery to do so.

Chapter 1 Is where it all starts. Your journey of self discovery and long term growth begins.
Your "personal victory" starts right here.

1. Be Pro-active (Principles of Personal Vision).

If I could sum up this chapter in one sentence it would be: We are where we are today due to the decisions we have made, nobody else. The buck stops with me!

Pro-activity is a well known term but it also has a much deeper meaning

"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 decisions, not our conditions".

What was your reaction like the last time someone rudely cut you off in peak hour traffic?. Your reaction will define your character.

What the driver does is out of your control. The weather that surrounds you has nothing to do with you either. You can simply only control yourself, your actions and your reactions

An event cannot hurt us but our response to it certainly can. Your character and your identity that defines you does not have to hurt at all.

The chapter progresses through stages talking about The Social Mirror, Taking the Initiative, Act or Be Acted Upon and Listening to Our language.

The final topic covers where we should be focusing our time and energy. It is a subject often neglected. Our Circle of Concern.

The level of your pro-activity can be defined by whether you spend more time in your Circle of Concern or in your Circle of Influence.

The circle of concern is where reactive people spend their time. They focus on the weaknesses of other people, environmental issues such as the weather or anything else that they actually have no control over.

The blame game is the sport of choice. Negative energy and an unfortunate victim mentality is what prevails and it does nothing more than shrink their Circle of Influence.

On the flip side is pro-active individuals who spend their time and energy focusing on things they have some control over. There's a big difference.

Completing the chapter sees a way of thinking that the hub of our Circle Of Influence can be found on the lap of our integrity.

Our ability to make and keep commitments to ourselves and others is the essence for our growth.

So the 7 Habits begins. I have read this chapter more times than I care to remember and the great thing is that the learning and understanding never stops in our journey towards the top.


Stephen Covey has provided us with what some would call the "personal development" bible.


Universally read and applauded by many, the starting chapter entitled "Be Pro-Active" is a very powerful introduction to this Stephen Covey masterpiece.

This book is personally used as my guide to where I'm going and how I intend to get there. It acts as the backbone to my business at MLM Stroke Of Fortune as we strive to develop leaders of the future. I invite you to come on over and say hello.