Isagani B. Dulfo Jr.

JUNE 30, 2018

1st Year MSPH

Reaction Paper 1: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Effective is defined as putting something into effect or producing a dsesired result by fulfilling a specified
function. Sttephen Covey's book " The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" entails that to be effective,
there are at least 7 ways or habits that can definitely guide us. His propositions all boils down to a
common goal which is to succeed in life. But truly, who doesn't want to succeed in life and attain fully all
his aspirations and dreams? I want to be siccesful one day-we all want to be. The book is an affirmation
that to triumph is possible and absolutelty achievable if one knows where he is going to with the right
attitude and sincere to what he yearns for.

The 7 habits is categorized into three. The first three habits (be proactive, begin with the end in mind
and put first things first) is anchored to the central idea that a person must become independent from
being dependent. I do concedd to this idea because everyone of us has our own intelligence that we can
use when it comes to circumstances like decision making. By being independent, we learn to stand on
our own fedt. It also teaches us to be more discerning and careful in whatever we do. The proposition
that one must be proactive teaches us to be longer wait for problems to occur but instead it should be
anticipated and a counter solution to that problem is always ready. In my profession as a medical
technologist, I always make sure that being proactive is already etched in my system. I should have the
assurance that whenever I process specimens, the procedure I do is free from errors because I cannot
afford any mistakes as it is the life and the health of patients that Im dealing with. The 2nd habit, begin
with the end in mind, is very important because it teaches us that in everything we do, we should
envision what is it that we want at the end of the day. In this case just like any institution or organization,
a vision-mission-objectives(VMO) is necessary. I believe that it will serve as the direction to take us to
our goal come what may or shojld there be any problems that would arise along the way. The 3rd habit
is to pjt first things first. I believe that this is a matter of prioritization. The author's intent may be that a
person has to put greater value and consideration on things that require immediate attention versus
thosebthat can be qeued. I think this is an important habit that one must adapt because it is part of
being organized- putting things in right order but also cinsidering many factors such as what will require
most of your attention, complexity of an activity or the time needed to accomplish a certain task.

The 2nd category of the 7 habits includes think win-win, seek 1st to understand then to be understood
and synergize. These habits are in continuation of the 1st three mentioned above because it links the
connectionof being dependent to becoming interdependent. Being interdependent means to recognize
other existing party or company and that is, in our case, building connections to other people. The habit
of think win-win is an excellent idea because it signals a person to become optimistic, attracting
positivity. Being optimistic that at the end of any endeavour, once we collaborated with other people, a
beneficial solution or outcome can be achieved. I think many siuccessful people can relate to this
because there has been success stories on how to reach prosperity. There is a saying that an idea, oncd
planted to the mind of others become more fruitful. The habit of seek 1st to understand, then to be
understood highlights the importance of listening above talking non-stop. I think one should possess the
skill of listening because it is a vital ingredient of effective communication. Through listening, we absorb
and process information that we can fully comprehend. The 6th habit is synergize which means the
combination of strength of people therefore, it produces cooperation or teamwork. I think this validates
the idea that twomis better than one. Whenever there is teamwork, greater jheights can be attained.
When there is cooperation, propblems can be easily resolved and there will be ease when a difficulty is
encountered. Also, I believe that cooperation is one of the major key to achieving a common goal while
saving time, money, and effort that can be further used for other important errands.

The 7th habit, sharpen the saw, is crucial to the development of a person as a professional. It is about
seeking measures to continue learning and improving. The recently passed law, the Continuing
Professional Development Act of 2017 has the same thrust to this habit. No one should stop learning or
become stagnant with rusty or dull knowledge or inflrmation. This habit also consider other human
faculty such as spiritual, social, physical and emotional well being. These aspects are the ones to
consider to be fit inside and out. Exercise, read, pray , meditate , hang out with people and many other
activities are vital to contribute to our growth as professionals.

I believe that once a person considered doing the 7 habits religuiousluy, success will come his way
smoothly. The habits are summary of how to become a self-reliant yet dependable person that is
continuously improving. These 7 habits are proof that we can raise our standards and be the better
version of ourselves, be more productive and grow even wiser. I realize that by the guidance of 7 habit,
we do not only become higly effective people but also higly efficient thereby becoming a good influence
to others who, one day, whould aspire to be successful and fulfilled in life.