In creating a whole life concept for myself as I become an engineer was a little overwhelming for me at first. Reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People By Stephen R. Covey, really helped me to better understand what a whole life concept was and how to apply it to daily life. In Habit 1 Be Proactive I was introduced to the concentric circles model as seen Fig.1. Starting out with the circle of concern which includes worries fears such as national debt, nuclear war, health, personal relationships and problems at work. Outside of my circle of concern are the things that I do not have any involvement in. Inside my circle of concern there are things that I have no real control of, also there are things I can control. The things that I have control of I will put inside another circle, the circle of influence. By focusing on the circle of influence I can be proactive, thus increasing my circle of influence. As an engineer I am expected to use my knowledge of math and science to fulfill humans wants and needs. Being proactive and focusing only on my circle of influence I can increase it’s size thus creating a better world for everyone. Applying whole life concepts I learned from Stephen Covey to my ever day life I can become an effective part of society and have a full life.
7 Habits
In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey the whole live concept is broken down in to 7 habits. Before Covey gets into the 7 habits he shows the power of a paradigm shift by giving a few examples. Also expresses how a principle centered paradigm is a must. Then I was introduced to The Seven Habits Paradigm as shown in Fig. 2. The seven habits were broken down into three parts. The first part was private victory which include the habits: 1 Be Proactive, 2 Begin with the End in Mind, 3 Put First Things First. The second part was public victory which included the habits: 4 Think Win/Win, 5 Seek First to Understand... Then to be