The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Reflections on Student Life at Bow Valley College

This paper reflects on how the 7 habits from 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' by Steven Covey are relevant to student life at Bow Valley College.

Assignment Two
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey, beliefs, describes the
beliefs, thoughts and approach that will help one to achieve the goals and objectives set in
their life. In this paper, the 7 habits will be reflected with regards to the way it is relevant to
my student life in Bow Valley College.
The first habit ‘Be Proactive’ requires that I behave in a responsible manner within
the campus. (Covey, 2013) I will strive to attend my class regularly, keep the campus clean,
and be respectful towards my professors and seniors. For example, I will take the
responsibility of the grades that I receive in the examinations as they are a reflection of the
hard-work that I have put in my studies.
The second habit ‘Begin with the End in Mind’, has taught me to envision the end
goal that I desire to achieve. (Covey, 2013) As a student at Bow Valley College, I will
envision the graduation degree that I want to accomplish in my life, and have that vision in
mind while making any decisions. Having a visual goal in my mind all the time will help me
focus on the plan and efficiently prepare myself to work towards achieving the goal. For
example, I aim to work in bank after I graduate. Thus, I will have the visual goal of working
on a bank desk sometime in my life, and each day I will work towards this dream, and all my
efforts and focus will be channelized towards my goal.
Just like the second habit, the third habit ‘Put First Things First’ is also focussed
towards working towards one’s goal and as a student I will prioritize the tasks that will help
me to realise my goals. (Covey, 2013) For example, to become an investment banker, I will
have to be well verse with the financial concepts and also have an analytical mind to assess
the profitability of a proposed investment.

The fourth habit ‘Think Win-Win’ emphasises upon collaborating with others and
working in teams. (Covey, 2013) One cannot go far alone and need the cooperation and
support of others to succeed in life. As a student, I have to work in various group projects and
the success of the group depends upon the effective collaboration and cooperation of the
team. The approach will be to have a win-win situation for all, and the aim will be to possess
a mutual benefit for all team members.
The fifth habit ‘Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood’ emphasizes
listening well before replying. (Covey, 2013) As a student, I need to pay attention in what my
teacher is saying, which will be beneficial in having a good understanding of the lesson. I
need to improve my communication skills, and listen more and talk less during any
interaction. This is a valuable tip for success in life as well, since acting or speaking without
understanding properly will lead to many misunderstandings.
The sixth habit, ‘Synergize’ is instrumental in having an innovative approach to
problems. The habit will ensure that while working in a group, all the team member’s work
together to find an innovative solution to the problem, which will eventually result in good
scores for everyone in the group. (Covey, 2013) Alone I might be able to put in the diversity
of experiences and knowledge, which others might possess. This is also an effective working
practices in the dynamic profession world, as there people from various background and
expertise come together. Thus, respecting the differences will help to go a long way in
discovering innovative products.
The last habit ‘Sharpen the Saw’ focusses upon consistent development for the overall
improvement of the being. (Covey, 2013) As a student, I have to focus upon developing
various skills and talent to perform in various avenues in my future role. Thus, I will attend
diligently the various classes taught in the campus and take them seriously as every lesson

has something or the other to improve my knowledge base. Further, I will also pay attention
to my health and not eat junk food.
The book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, is a great resource to implement
some great approach towards the life. Following the habits mentioned in the book, a person
will be able to align their goals with their actions effectively. The book has provided me great
insights about the way to conduct myself not only in the campus but also in life in general.
Following the approaches as mentioned in the book, I will be able to attain great heights and
success in life.

References
Covey, S. R. (2013). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Powerful lessons in personal
change. Simon and Schuster.