Covey's success mantra

Stephen R Covey, who passed away recently, and who can be called the guru of good habit lessons, has left behind powerful lessons in personal management and change.

Stephen R Covey, who passed away recently, and who can be called the guru of good habit lessons, has left behind powerful lessons in personal management and change.

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Those who have read his book, 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People', will agree that the entire exercise behind it is to make one point clear: that we need to restore character ethic in our society.

For that, Covey's stress is on self-renewal, and he enables one to "square inner thought and outer behaviour, resulting in personal as well as public integrity."

Self-renewal is surely the most important aspect of keeping yourself growing and relevant. Anything that remains unchanged turns into deadwood.

That is why Covey calls self-renewal the best investment, and it has four dimensions: Physical, mental, social and spiritual. Physical renewal is what most of us do and it requires nutrition, exercise and stress management. The next goes to a higher level--- mental development, requiring one to read, visualise, plan and write. Social and emotional upgradation involves service, empathy and love towards all.

The last but the most important one is practising spirituality. It involves meditation, commitment and self-less service.

American spiritual leader N Eldon Tanner too has similar sentiments, "Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth." Great words indeed for all of us to keep in mind and be useful, always.

In the words of Covey, one can be useful only if one can "learn, commit and do"; and again, "learn, commit and do…"