Mastery & Habits

This was a full week of learning for me.  Not only did I increase my learning in my coursework, but I increased my learning at work and both made me feel good.  I have always liked to learn new things even though the learning hasn't always come from an academic setting.  I suppose that qualifies me as a life-long learner and I like that. 

Here are some of the things I learned from this week's course materials:

"Stand True and Faithful"   Gordon B. Hinkley

No matter how much the world around us changes, we must always remain true to ourselves and those around us and remain faithful in the gospel.  President Hinkley said, "The truths of this gospel are everlasting and eternal.  Philosophies change.  Customs change.  Culture changes.  But with all of these changes, there are gospel fundamentals that have never changed and never will change." 

The current social and political climate in the United States is a perfect example of philosophies, customs and culture changing yet the gospel truths will never change.  That was an important reminder for me this week.

"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"  Stephen R. Covey

I have never taken the time to read this book so I thoroughly enjoyed reading this summary and listening to Jim Ritchie's overview.  Here are the seven habits:

• Habit 1 - Be proactive
• Habit 2 - Begin with the end in mind
• Habit 3 - Put first things first
• Habit 4 - Think win/win
• Habit 5 - Seek first to understand, then to be understood
• Habit 6 - Synergize
• Habit 7 - Sharpen the saw

The habit that hold the most meaning for me in my life right now is to put first things first.   I struggle with time management and prioritizing my personal and work tasks.  Part of that struggle comes from things outside of my control at work that interfere with my feeble efforts to make lists and prioritize.  But as I practice and implement the four quadrants, I hope to better be able to handle interruptions as they come up and get back on track. 

There were several quotes in this book summary and my favorite was from Albert Einstein.  "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them."  I hope to change my level of thinking as I continue to learn and grow.