Win/Win

I really liked that he defined win/win as being a philosophy. It makes the practice of it much easier. Most people try to implement a win/win, but don't really care about the "win" of the other person, as long as they get theirs. Thus, people get manipulated, used, or "handled" into a win/lose disguised as a win/win. However, what really made me think was the everyday application of the win/win. The philosophy is necessary, but it's hard to implement in a world that is patterned the other win/lose or lose/lose paradigms. It's always about being the best, passing everyone else on your way to the top. For example, when Covey discusses the education system, it is mostly patterned after a select group being the best and everyone else being inferior. On the other hand, how do you model a system that grades on how hard you try? How do you set those goals for students? how do you know what their actual capacity is? The same is true in the job market. In order for someone to get the job, everyone else has to lose it. What's the best way to apply a philosophy that your culture rejects?

Where is your time going

Another part of the book that really affected me was in Habit 4. He talks about the quadrants in which many people operate. I realized that I was one of the people that functioned mostly in Quadrants I and IV. I was constantly overwhelmed with crises and pressing problems. By the time I solved one problem, another was there to knock me over. I found myself living day to day, simply extinguishing catastrophes (some of which were not even mine). While I was living like that, I thought that I was doing the right thing by dealing with things that were urgent. But really some of the things that were urgent were not really important. Many big problems could be solved if I had made the decision to spend time in Quadrant II and scratch some things from Quadrant III. I have begun to do that, and the difference has been like night and day. I have energy. I feel accomplished at the end of my days. I don't constantly worry about my next move. I've begun to actually live life again instead of letting situations live them for me.

The Ability to Choose

One of my favorite parts of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is where Covey discusses that between a stiuation and our reaction, we have the right to choose. I have many times forgotten that I had that right. I simply responded to what my emotions dictated to me. After reading that passage, I became more proactive in deciding how I would respond to any given situation. That has really empowered me. Also, he says that whatever circumstance one finds themselves in, it is the result of the decisions that they made. If that person wants to change their situation, it is his/her responsibility to make the necessary decisions to do so. Even though I have heard that almost all of my life, it was nice to have a reminder from a different source.

First blog

I'm Kristin Boyd. I am from Philadelphia, but studying music education at Samford University in Birmingham, AL. I created this blog for my conducting class, and I'm very excited! This is the first blog I have ever written. I'm not at all technologically savvy so this is an amazing moment for me!