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Stephen Covey

Stephen Covey Quotes

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Famous Stephen Covey Quotes

“The creative process is also the most terrifying part because you don't know exactly what's going to happen or where it is going to lead. You don't know what new dangers and challenges you'll find. It takes an enormous amount of internal security to begin with the spirit of adventure, discovery, and creativity. Without doubt, you have to leave the comfort zone of base camp and confront an entirely new and unknown wilderness.”

KnowsArtHappensSpiritProcessChallengesCreativityCreativeDoubtSecurityDangerAdventureAmountComfortDiscoveryEnormousInternalsZoneWildernessCampsCreative ProcessComfort ZoneSpirit Of Adventure
Book:The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change Interactive Edition
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“When life does not go our way or we inadvertently make a mistake, it is so easy to make excuses, place blame on others, or argue that circumstances were against us. But we only progress in life to the extent that we take responsibility for our actions and attitudes, and put forth the initiative necessary to create our own circumstances.”

WayDoeActionEasyFreedomMistakeAttitudeResponsibilityProgressCircumstancesSelf ImprovementEmpowermentBlameExcuseArguingImprovementInitiativeTaking ResponsibilityOur ActionsProgress In Life
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“You basically get what you reward. If you want to achieve the goals and reflect the values in your mission statement, then you need to align the reward system with these goals and values.”

IfsWantNeedsValuesGoalAchieveManagementRewardsMissionsStatementsMission Statement
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“When parents see their children's problems as opportunities to build the relationship instead of as negative, burdensome irritations, it totally changes the nature of parent-child interaction. Parents become more willing, even excited, about deeply understanding and helping their children. . . . This paradigm is powerful in business as well.”

WellsChildrenHelpingProblemOpportunityParentUnderstandingChangePowerfulFamilyRelationshipWillingNegativeParentingExcitedWillingnessParenthoodInteractionParadigmBeing A ParentIrritationParent Child
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“The more deeply you understand other people, the more you will appreciate them, the more reverent you will feel about them. To touch the soul of another human being is to walk on holy ground.”

PeopleFeelsHumansSoulHuman BeingsWalksHolyEmpathyAppreciateHoly Ground
Book:The Stephen R. Covey Interactive Reader - 4 Books in 1: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, First Things First, and the Best of the Most Renowned Leadership Teacher of our Time
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“The more authentic you become, the more genuine in your expression, particularly regarding personal experiences and even self-doubts, the more people can relate to your expression and the safer it makes them feel to express themselves. That expression, in turn, feeds on the other person's spirit, and genuine creative empathy takes place, producing new insights and learnings and a sense of excitement and adventure that keeps the process going.”

PeopleFeelsPersonsSelfSpiritTurnsProcessCreativeDoubtAdventureExpressionEmpathyInsightGenuineRelateExcitementPersonal ExperiencesSelf-doubt
Book:The Stephen R. Covey Interactive Reader - 4 Books in 1: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, First Things First, and the Best of the Most Renowned Leadership Teacher of our Time
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“Empathic listening takes time, but it doesn't take anywhere near as much time as it takes to back up and correct misunderstandings when you're already miles down the road; to redo; to live with unexpressed and unsolved problems; to deal with the results of not giving people psychological air.”

PeopleGivingProblemResultsDealsAirListeningEmpathyMilesPsychologicalTake TimeMisunderstandingDown The RoadUnsolved ProblemsRedos
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“Empathic listening is so powerful because it gives you accurate data to work with. Instead of projecting your own autobiography and assuming thoughts, feelings, motives and interpretation, you're dealing with the reality inside another person's head and heart. You're listening to understand. You're focused on receiving the deep communication of another human soul.”

GivingHumansHeartPersonsSoulFeelingsRealityPowerfulCommunicationListeningAssumingFocusedDataMotiveInterpretationReceivingAccurateAutobiographyHuman SoulHead And Heart
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“In the space between stimulus (what happens) and how we respond, lies our freedom to choose. Ultimately, this power to choose is what defines us as human beings. We may have limited choices but we can always choose. We can choose our thoughts, emotions, moods, our words, our actions; we can choose our values and live by principles. It is the choice of acting or being acted upon.”

HumansMayHappensActionLyingValuesChoicesHuman BeingsSpaceActingEmotionPrinciplesMoodLive ByEfficiencyOur ThoughtsOur ActionsEffectivenessStimulusOur WordsSpace BetweenFreedom To Choose
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“Basing our happiness on our ability to control everything is futile.”

HappinessAbilityPlanningPursuit Of Happiness
Book:The Stephen R. Covey Interactive Reader - 4 Books in 1: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, First Things First, and the Best of the Most Renowned Leadership Teacher of our Time
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“Too many vacations that last too long, too many movies, too much TV, too much video game playing - too much undisciplined leisure time in which a person continually takes the course of least resistance gradually wastes a life. It ensures that a person's capacities stay dormant, that talents remain undeveloped, that the mind and spirit become lethargic and that the heart remains unfulfilled.”

MindHeartPersonsLongLastsHappinessSpiritCoursesGamesToo MuchTalentTvsWasteCapacityRemainsVideoResistanceVacationLeisurePursuit Of HappinessDormantLeisure TimeUndisciplinedLethargic
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“As we make and keep commitments, even small commitments, we begin to establish an inner integrity that gives us the awareness of self-control and the courage and strength to accept more of the responsibility for our own lives. By making and keeping promises to ourselves and others, little by little, our honor becomes greater than our moods.”

GivingLittlesSelfResponsibilityAcceptingGreaterAwarenessHonorIntegrityPromiseCommitmentMoodLive BySelf ControlKeeping Promises
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“Anytime we think the problem is 'out there,' that thought is the problem. We empower what's out there to control us. The change paradigm is 'outside-in' - what's out there has to change before we can change. The proactive approach is to change from the 'inside-out': to be different, and by being different, to effect positive change in what's out there - I can be more resourceful, I can be more diligent, I can be more creative, I can be more cooperative.”

ThinkingI CanDifferentProblemCreativeEffectsApproachPersonal DevelopmentEmpoweringParadigmBeing DifferentDiligentProactivePositive ChangeCooperativesResourceful
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“Satisfied needs do not motivate. It's only the unsatisfied need that motivates. Next to physical survival, the greatest need of a human being is psychological survival - to be understood, to be affirmed, to be validated, to be appreciated.”

NeedsHumansNextHuman BeingsSurvivalUnderstoodPersonal DevelopmentSatisfiedPsychologicalAppreciatedUnsatisfied
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“The 'Inside-Out' approach to personal and interpersonal effectiveness means to start first with self; even more fundamentally, to start with the most inside part of self, with your paradigms, your character, and your motives. The inside-out approach says that private victories precede public victories, that making and keeping promises to ourselves recedes making and keeping promises to others. It says it is futile to put personality ahead of character, to try to improve relationships with others before improving ourselves.”

TryingFirstsMeanSelfCharacterPersonalityVictoryPromiseApproachPersonal DevelopmentImprovementMotivePrivacyImprovingEffectivenessParadigmRelationships With OthersInterpersonalKeeping PromisesInterpersonal Relationship
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“Until we take how we see ourselves (and how we see others) into account, we will be unable to understand how others see and feel about themselves and their world. Unaware, we will project our intentions on their behavior and call ourselves objective.”

WorldFeelsPerspectiveBehaviorProjectsAccountsIntentionObjectives
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“Our problems and pain are universal and increasing, and the solutions to the problems are and always will be based upon universal, timeless, self-evident principles common to every enduring, prospering society throughout history.”

SelfProblemPainCommonPrinciplesSolutionsUniversalEndureTimelessEvidentProspering
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“It's incredibly easy to get caught up in an activity trap, in the busy-ness of life, to work harder and harder at climbing the ladder of success only to discover it's leaning against the wrong wall. It is possible to be busy - very busy - without being very effective.”

EasyHard WorkWallActivityHarderBusyCaughtPrioritiesClimbingTime ManagementTrapsCaught UpLaddersWork HarderEasy To GetLadder Of SuccessClimbing The LadderClimbing Up The Ladder
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