Covey Report Report Samples

Jane Doe

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A top selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, written by Steven Covey is a well-renowned piece of work for understanding that each person has the power to live a fulfilling life. The report will explore Habit 1: Be Proactive, from the book.
Habit one states that each person has the choice to decide the direction of their life. Regardless of the type of circumstance an individual faces, the key, to having empowerment in life, is based on one's ability to take full responsibility. Blame should not be placed on any external people or situations, whether from the past or in their current life. Covey uses the word proactive to describe the responsible choice or behavior. The proactive individual is in control of his or her response to various impetuses; they do not harp on problems they cannot do anything about. Instead, the person focuses on realistic solutions to work on, they choose to be action-oriented in tackling these life situations with confidence and positivity. An essential tool that proactive individuals have in designing their lives is language. The type of words the proactive person uses indicates that an awareness of power through responsibility is present. Examples of responsible communication include the use of words like ‘I can, I will, I prefer’ instead of powerless declarations such as, ‘I can’t and I won’t’ (Covey, 1989).
After grasping the concept taught in Habit 1: Be Proactive, one can begin to gain awareness of how behavior is associated with choices, not from the conditions of life. The conditions that a person has are often a result of the choices they have made. I want to share how my behavior is a function of my decisions, not my conditions. An area I have in life where my behavior is less than desirable is when I am misunderstood. Instead of deciding that I will find a way to expand myself through learning a new way to communicate, I often get irritable and angry. I blame the other individuals for not understanding me, instead of taking responsibility and choosing a new method to address this failure in communication.
A particular area in life where I make decisions that are not led by proactivity is with my diet. Instead of deciding that I have a choice in the types of foods I will put in my body, I give in and blame the people I live with for my bad eating habits. My inner dialog and how I think are not in alignment with a proactive attitude in regard to my diet; instead I tend to think ‘I have to eat this since it’s in my kitchen.’
Recently I missed an opportunity because of my reactive behavior. Issues with communication are a weakness I experience in my interactions with people in life. The proactive me would have taken a moment to get my thoughts in order, and choose an appropriate way to respond to the lack of understanding between this individual and I. Instead of getting angry and giving-up on the entire situation I could formulate an effective communication method to work through the obstacle. Had I taken this route things would have ended on a much more pleasant note, and most importantly I would not have missed an excellent opportunity.
The guidelines taught in Habit 1 will give me a solid foundation to be proactive in my decisions as a responsible individual. Instead of feeling like a victim through reactive behaviors, taking the proactive method will guarantee to leave me thinking, feeling, and most likely doing better in all areas of my life. The next opportunity I have, I will employ the method to communicate with individuals I struggle to dialog with.

What Will They Say

As I reflect on my life through understanding the concept taught in Habit 1: Be Proactive, I am able to stop and think about what I want to leave behind as my legacy. I know that I want to leave this world having made a difference in people’s lives, even if it is just the people in my immediate circle. I want people to remember me for my perseverance and ability to overcome difficulties that would lead many individuals to become hopeless. Instead, I will use the challenges and hardship as fuel to fire the passion in the endeavors I involve myself with.
Moving closer to the person I would like to become will require maximizing my strengths as a broad-minded, passionate, and strong-willed person. The ability to have the drive to excel in new concepts gives me the readiness to embrace new habits like the one discussed in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. As I become proactive and gain control of the areas of my life that do not work, I will aim to work harder to get closer to becoming the person I hope to be one day. I will proactively keep exploring aspects of myself through books or activities that enable me to realize strengths and weaknesses in myself that I am unaware of.
In closing I found a witty quote by J.K. Rowling on the"Goodreads" (2015) website, “There is an expiry date on blaming your parents for steering you in the wrong direction; the moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you.” Lesson learned, embrace responsibility, you will only be that much happier for it.

References

Covey, S. R. (1989). Stephen R. Covey. Retrieved from
https://www.stephencovey.com/7habits/7habits-habit1.php
Goodreads. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/personal-
responsibility