Book Review: Living the 7 Habits: The Courage to Change

This book review is part of a series that covers the topic of Habits. Habits are recurrent, often unconscious patterns of behavior that are acquired through frequent repetition. The section is dedicated to resources on both positive and negative habits and how to live with your habits. Dan Robey is the Official Guide to Habits.nnLiving the 7 Habits: The Courage to Change, by Stephen R. Covey, is a valuable resource for people interested in Habits, and it is available through Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.nnAmazon.comnStephen Covey's famous 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has been teaching people and organizations how to be more effective since 1989. But how do Covey's principles translate for real people living their lives? Living the 7 Habits presents more than 70 little stories of people as they meet challenges and practice the seven habits. Some are ordinary slices of life; others are pivotal moments or life changes. A 76-year-old man who had overdrawn his wife's "emotional bank account" starts making deposits of chores, favors, and special dates until love is rekindled. A woman changes her life after her husband dies of cancer. Children teach parents empathic listening. A banker-turned-minister, cleaning his gun as his pregnant wife naps on the couch, accidentally discharges it, killing his wife and the unborn child, and learns to recover from grief and guilt. Parents learn to hear their teenagers' anxieties with respect and understanding. A clinical-psychology researcher, moved by statistics that one-third of foster kids never return to their birth parents or get adopted, creates a village for former "unadoptable" children, their new parents, and volunteer "grandparents." The stories are organized thematically into individual, family, community, education, and workplace--with commentary from Covey following each story. If you practice the seven habits and seek inspiration and a feeling of community, this book will help you find both. --Joan Price --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. nnFrom Publishers WeeklynCovey fans and booksellers alike will be delighted by this collection, perfect for June gift-giving occasions and destined for a long life. For 10 years, the author's famed Seven Habits of Highly Effective People has influenced countless individuals and organizations worldwideAand sold millions of copies. Conceding that the earlier books may have been long on theory and light on practice, Covey and his team culled thousands of testimonials for examples of the principles in action. The resulting collection of more than 75 true stories will satisfy the full range of Covey constituents. Though the storytelling is always first-person, the focus is consistently on the underlying principle, reinforced by Covey's commentary. Handily arranged by situationAwithin individual, family, community, workplace and educational settingsAand varying in depth and power, the stories offer intriguing and provocative lessons. They are mostly brief and often inspiring, but are by no means simplistic; they readily lend themselves to informal teaching and discussion. Some are dramatic and hard to forget: a woman facing a debilitating disease; a convict finding his mission while in prison. Many instructive stories deal with more routine problems, such as how to handle a sullen teenager sensitively or accommodate the needs of an elderly relative. Longer entries from executives of Shell Oil, Olivet College and Alphagraphics, and about the rejuvenation of South Bend, Ind., will appeal to strategic thinkers. This is a Covey classic. Agent, Jan Miller; 20-city TV and radio satellite tour. nCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.