7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Here is one of the best summaries I could find on the web regarding this topic. I hope you enjoy!

Habit 1: Be Proactive

Change starts from within, and highly effective people make the decision to improve their lives through the things that they can influence rather than by simply reacting to external forces.


Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

Develop a principle-centered personal mission statement. Extend the mission statement into long-term goals based on personal principles.


Habit 3: Put First Things First

Spend time doing what fits into your personal mission, observing the proper balance between production and building production capacity. Identify the key roles that you take on in life, and make time for each of them.


Habit 4: Think Win/Win

Seek agreements and relationships that are mutually beneficial. In cases where a "win/win" deal cannot be achieved, accept the fact that agreeing to make "no deal" may be the best alternative. In developing an organizational culture, be sure to reward win/win behavior among employees and avoid inadvertantly rewarding win/lose behavior.


Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

First seek to understand the other person, and only then try to be understood. Stephen Covey presents this habit as the most important principle of interpersonal relations. Effective listening is not simply echoing what the other person has said through the lens of one's own experience. Rather, it is putting oneself in the perspective of the other person, listening empathically for both feeling and meaning.


Habit 6: Synergize

Through trustful communication, find ways to leverage individual differences to create a whole that is greater than the sum of the parts. Through mutual trust and understanding, one often can solve conflicts and find a better solution than would have been obtained through either person's own solution.


Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

Take time out from production to build production capacity through personal renewal of the physical, mental, social/emotional, and spiritual dimensions. Maintain a balance among these dimensions.

5 Tips that You Can Use Now to Make Someone Smile

We have the power to influence people around us. How often do we consciously go out of our way to make people around us smile though? Doing so will not only brighten their day and lift your spirits, but the act becomes contagious and spreads to others. So, go ahead! Make them smile and start something...

1) Pay a compliment - people love to be complimented. But the trick is to make it sincere and something personal to them. If you show genuine interest in something about them, you are sure to get a smile. Avoid going overboard or saying something that will embarrass them. You may get a smile, but a flurry of other emotions will come with it that you may not want.

2) show an act of kindness - hold open a door, pay for someones coffee, buy some flowers just to give to a stranger. Seek out ways to be kind, and people will pay you with a smile.

3) Smile - I know it seems too obvious. But too many of us don't realize that we don't exercise our own smiles enough. If you show a big smile when meeting someone (either for the day or just someone new) , you are likely to get a good response.

4) Use nicknames - "Hey, sizzle chest." You'll get an immediate reaction when you come up with some fun (and not over the top) pet names

5) Make 'em laugh - keep on-hand 2-3 jokes or funny stories that either happened to you (better if it was) or to someone you know.

8 Foods You Should Eat Every Day

I admit I am a health nut. I obsess over eating nutritious and good tasting food. I am tired of eating processed foods that just fill you up and make you feel terrible later.

Check out this link to read on highly nutritious foods that will make you feel great!

Best Meditation Videos

Here are some of the best videos I have found on this topic. Enjoy!

Jon Kabat-Zinn Teaches Mindfulness at Google