The first habit and the underpinning of all success, in my view is "proactivity," the idea that putting in effort and being willing to do what feels uncomfortable leads to good things. The second habit, according to author Stephen Covey, is "beginning with the end in mind," which speaks to long-term goals and planning. I think the most vivid example is that of a cross-continental flight: a flight from JFK to LAX is rarely exactly on the path laid out by ATC and the pilot, but the route and the preparation mean that the plane arrives safely in LA despite it wavering and changing along the way. This seems like a great example of how life unfolds. The people that seem to carry a plan of some type seem to find their way to good things even if not exactly as planned.
My 2nd step work included writing out my roles as I see others see me and writing out a personal mission statement. The first piece was critical in my realization that my tardiness and failure to repsond to people was deeply undermining my performance personally and professionally. The second gave me a profound insight into the things that are really important to me.
This once again gets back to willingness to do what feels uncomfortable. Sitting down and writing out how I saw my parents seeing me, my former boss seeing me and so on was not a fun thing.... kinda sucked actually. I would have preferred catching a good TV show or taking a nap. Likewise doing my personal mission statement took me a few hours and was uncomfortable and made me anxious and meh. At the same time, i felt the effects immediately and it led directly to me feeling more comfortable stating my intents and discussing my strengths and weaknesses.
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