The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Success must be redefined: over the last 50 years the literature on this topic seemed to solely focus on social perception, where success is based on the judgement of others and, therefore, the easiest ways to achieve it. In contrast, in literature prior to the 50s, the foundation of success was what we call the Character Ethic: integrity, humility, fidelity, temperance, courage, justice, patience, industry, simplicity, modesty, etc.

Success, as well as happiness, is the integration of these fundamental principles into our basic personality. Thus, the approach shifted from the Character Ethic to the Personality Ethic. The principles that should be integrated are real paradigms through which we see, interpret and create the world and our lives.

The real and profound change is the paradigm shift. To achieve it, the outside-in paradigm (what happens out there affects us in a passive way) must be replaced by the inside-out paradigm (our character, our principles, our paradigms can influence our context and life). This is the first step towards renewal.

A Habit is the intersection of desire (motivation), knowledge (the theoretical paradigm, the what to do and the why), and skill (how to do it). The 7 habits are divided in three parts: the first three habits help us move from dependence to independence, determining private victory. The following three enable shifting from independence to interdependence, defining public victory. The last one is the renewal process, necessary to keep improving.