Today marks a great milestone: just shy of five months after first starting the book, I have finally made it to the end of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. I'm not sure why I got so bogged down and off track, but the past week or so went well enough and there's lots of great information in the book, so if you've never read it I would encourage you to do so. Don't let my failure to read it more quickly stop you from doing better! So let's finish off the book with a great quote, shall we?
"Achieving unity--oneness--with ourselves, our loved ones, with our friends and working associates, is the highest and best and most delicious fruit of the Seven Habits. Most of us have tasted this fruit of true unity from time to time in the past, as we have also tasted the bitter, lovely fruit of disunity--and we know how precious and fragile unity is. Obviously building a character of total integrity and living the life of love and service that creates such unity isn't easy. It isn't quick fix. But it's possible. It begins with the desire to center our lives on correct principles, to break out of the paradigms created by other centers and the comfort zones of unworthy habits.... Again, I quote Emerson: 'That which we persist in doing becomes easier--not that the nature of the task has changed, but our ability to do has increased.'"
And here's one final parting word from the author at the end. This is really a deep book and in reading it one can feel overwhelmed--is doing all of the stuff Covey lists even possible given the number of hours in a day!? What I like is that he admits the complexity and difficulty of the task, and just because it might take time and energy and it isn't easy definitely doesn't mean the task isn't worth doing.
"I believe that there are parts to human nature that cannot be reached by either legislation or education, but require the power of God to deal with. I believe that as human beings, we cannot perfect ourselves. To the degree to which we align ourselves with correct principles, diving endowments will be released within our nature in enabling us to fulfill the measure of our creation.... I personally struggle with much of what I have shared in this book. But the struggle is worthwhile and fulfilling. It gives meaning to my life and enables me to love, to sever, and to try again."
For my scripture study, I listened to Sister Elaine S. Dalton's talk from Conference, We Are Daughters of Our Heavenly Father. It shouldn't require too much creativity to take her statements and apply them to all children of God, so even though I'm a man I can find plenty of use in her advice and counsel. And of course, virtue can be expanded to include other correct principles that we were just discussing above.
"What would the world be like if virtue—a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards, including chastity—were reinstated in our society as a most highly prized value? If immorality, pornography, and abuse decreased, would there be fewer broken marriages, broken lives, and broken hearts? Would media ennoble and enable rather than objectify and degrade God’s precious daughters? If all humanity really understood the importance of the statement 'We are daughters of our Heavenly Father,' how would women be regarded and treated?"
No comments:
Post a Comment