Success – How do you define it?

Over the course of the next month, I am going to look at some definitions of “success”. Not only the text-book answers, but some relative, human answers we all would find in our hearts.

A few weeks ago, my wife and I spent a week in Jamaica celebrating our 1-year anniversary. In addition to all the relaxation, it gave me time to finish reading “The 7 Habits…” in-depth and cover some areas of personal interest. I really wanted to understand them and make them a part of me. Why? I feel that there is more to life than just “having a job and making money”. Granted, it is important to have income, as it is the means to several ends. I want to work hard for all the right reasons. To be at the core of who I am. I want to be a principle-centered person. To be successful in all the areas in my life that are important.

The 7th and "Last Habit”- Renewal.

Is it really the last Habit? Not really. There is an “8th Habit”… and I am going to have to read that book next. The 7th and “last” Habit in the book is one I can definitely relate to. Dr. Covey calls the 7th Habit, “Sharpen the Saw”. The chapter starts with a story of someone working really hard for hours at sawing down a tree. When asked why does he not take a break to sharpen the saw, the reply is that he doesn’t have the time since he’s so busy sawing. Aren’t we all? We are so engrossed into the daily crunch and all the “to-do’s” that we hardly ever pause and renew. Renew? How? There’s more than one way for us to “sharpen our saws”. Dr. Covey suggests that there are 4 “dimensions” to this type of renewal: Physical, Spiritual, Mental and Social. No doubt, it’s important investing time in one’s self – aka “Personal PC” - Taking care of that which allows you to be productive. Think about it, if the guy had taken a break to sharpen his saw, not only he would probably get done sooner but probably stress and strain less.

Synergy - The 6th Habit

Before I started writing this entry, I felt like taking a peek at WikiPedia and see what was there for “Synergize”. It redirects you to “Synergy” [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synergy] – Click on it and read it if you like. I always thought of it as “working together”. Great. Don’t we all do that everyday? We all “work together” – right? It is not that simple. Dr. Covey elaborates on Synergize-ing as a form of communication that builds creative momentum when both trust and cooperation is very high. Remember Habit 4? The ever elusive Win/Win ? This is it. The pinnacle of two people (or more) with the win/win mindset. Imagine everyone were open-minded and ready to look at new ideas and create possibilities in an interdependent fashion – wow. Although I have seen the whole spectrum of businesses