This is part two, if you haven’t already read part one, please consider it afterwards.
Habit five – seek first to understand
How often do you rush into a situation or a scenario, have your opinion, find the perceived solution when you haven’t even listened to the other person’s perspective?
First listen, second listen, third listen – once you have all the facts, information and allow yourself to see the other person’s opinion.
“You never truly know someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.”
Unknown
If you can develop the ability to really see through another person’s eyes, you’ll be tapping into an incredibly powerful tool for managing your life. And it’s a great skill you can cultivate—just like flipping a pancake. Remember a pancake always has two sides.
Habit six – synergy
How can you bring more synergy into your life today?
Working together is not just a beautiful concept but a powerful one. Creating synergy within your business might be as simple as getting everybody together twice a week.
I recall my first role in private equity as a team we always had lunch together, it helped build a bond and long-lasting relationships. I truly believe in positive synergy, and that with a strong, open, and positive mindset knowing that ‘we’ can always do more than ‘I’ and that something always has the possibility of something great.
“Synergy is better than my way or your way. It’s our way.”
Stephen Covey
Habit seven – sharpen the saw
Sharpen, sharpen, sharpen! Covey tells a brilliant story of a man in the forest sawing down a tree with a blunt saw. He saws and saws (and saws and saws). Working feverishly but not getting far. A passer-by suggests he take a break and sharpen his saw and gets the reply, “But I don’t have time for that.”
Hmmmmm… Does that sound like you? Sounds like me on occasion… in the past!
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
John Lennon
Covey’s 7th Habit is very straightforward: Take the time to renew. Sharpen your saw.
How I hear you ask? There are many ways – exercise, meditate, journal, spend time with loved ones, go on vacation, play, dance, enjoy your hobbies. Life is to be fully experienced in all aspects therefore it is important not to live within the constraints of what you perceive is your job, family, and holiday but the wider aspect of life every single day. Let yourself explore what that might mean for you.
Habit eight – practice gratitude
Gratitude is so underrated and most definitely should be considered as part of habits one to seven. I see gratitude as the new attitude to have in everyday life. By simply acknowledging all the things we are grateful for, we become more aware of the gifts we have received, which brings even more gifts to us, which in turn brings more thankfulness into our lives. Gratitude creates a virtual cycle of ever-expanding benefits.
It’s important to see gratitude not only for the positives but the negatives too, the opportunities to learn from our mistakes, failed relationships, business deals and so on.
So many people take good health, a job, a home, good friends, and family for granted, and they appear to be on a continual search for something else. Imagine how you would feel if everyone and everything you had were suddenly taken away from you. Think about how much you would give to have it all back and how thankful you would feel if it were returned to you. Give thanks every day with that kind of intensity.
Recent scientific and psychological studies about happiness universally confirm that people who are thankful are happier, healthier, less depressed, and less stressed than others. They also have better relationships and make greater progress toward achieving their personal goals.
“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.”
Brian Tracy
Consider how you might use these eight habits as a regular practice to support you on your journey of life, through relationships, health, business and helping you find a more joyful and successful experience.
Thinking about the current scenarios where you feel you need to address any of these four habits? Still in need of some added advice and guidance – then book in a Genius Zone Consult to discover what your current challenges are and explore how I can support you in solving those challenges.
Lastly, ask yourself what is the one key thing you are grateful for today.
