I am a firm believer that “less is more”. Do I live the life of a minimalist? Not at all. Never shall I complain about women having “too much clothes” or “too many pairs of shoes”. Quite simply, I am guilty of too much junk. Not spread-out everywhere though! It’s neatly tucked away and out-of-sight. If we take a brief look at nature, there is so much going on that is out-of-sight as well. Overwhelmingly complex, and simple in its majesty. If we give it more thought, everything – absolutely everything is some type of matter-energy conversion. Wait. I promise not to go into details here. However, as a fan of science-fiction and theoretical physics, I must briefly mention the popular “Quantum Theory vs. Relativity” conundrum. I know what you are thinking… “What does physics have to do with The 7 Habits or the Pyramid of Success?” Just as nature simplifies in “Higher Dimensions” – so can we. The 7 Habits and the 15 building blocks of the Pyramid of Success can be meshed together and then simplified to 3 “Basic Blocks” plus . After I finish reading “The 8th Habit” – there may be the need for 1 more. This one will coincide with the “Top” of the Pyramid: “Competitive Greatness” which I looked at last month and will continue to explore in the coming months ahead as I read “The 8th Habit”.
In the beginning of the Universe, there was the “Big Bang”. It is theorized that all forces (gravity, electro-magnetic, strong/weak) where one in the same. Quantum theory explains how all energy is “quantized” as some type of particle – basically, matter. Relativity explains how all (even matter) is some form of energy – (the famous E=mc2 equation). Although we are close to discovering the equation that ties them all together (Unified Field Theory), it is believed we have yet to discover the mathematics required.
Everything that makes us who we are as individuals may be just as complex (if not more) than all the forces and the matter-energy relationships that makes the Universe “go round”. However, if our habits and our way of thinking are focused on what really matters to be successful, it can be simple enough so that you do not need to “memorize” so many details.
Let’s look at the Pyramid ”Color-Coded” in a matter that is in-line with the 7 Habits:
If we rearrange them so that they are now grouped – and Habits 1-3 form the new “Base of the Pyramid”, the other Habits can be stacked on it in “order”:
Lastly, let’s simplify. By “fusing” some of the blocks together, we can see that there are simple, “Higher Dimensional” Habits that will encompass that attributes that where once numerous.
NOW - If I bring the 1st 3 Habits together at the base, Followed by Habit 4 on top - then put Habits 5 & 6 together on top of that... we have the "3 Building Blocks" I was striving for. The "mortar" to keep it all together is Habit 7: Renewal.
Here we can see that “Less is more” by narrowing it down to 3 “Big Blocks”. We realize that:
1) By having CONTROL over ourselves we become “forward thinkers”, we define our principles and values our goals and priorities (self-disciplined). 2) Then we can be mature and think of OTHERS and realize it is not all about you. 3) Only then can we BUILD GENUINE RELATIONSHIPS, embrace our differences and have the courage to stand for who we are as well. We keep it all together by RENEWING ourselves: mind, body and soul. Only then can be our best and strive to succeed (in any arena). So – the “Bottom to the Top” approach works. What about "Competitive Greatness"? Without everything else, it would probably topple. Once I read "The 8th Habit" - I will revisit this and give it its proper explanation.
For those of us who are wondering about the “virtues” at the sides of the pyramid, they basically fall into the “paradigm shift”. That is, in order to go from being independent to interdependent (Maturing) we need to have integrity, honesty, sincerity. It’s the “glue” that keeps things together.
In closing, I truly sincerely mean no disrespect to the works of either Dr. Covey or the late John Wooden. They stand alone as great works that I am trying to implement in my life and recommend others to read and make up their own mind. I hope no one takes anything as written in stone either. It's only my analysis in hopes of simplifying extremely great concepts - so they are not only "easier to memorize" but to understand since all I want to do is bring into light concepts and awareness of what makes us who we are. True leadership and success is not about memorization. It is about being genuine.
– Bernie Segal
