Why Would I Want to Read About the 7 Habits and Triathlon?

This blog is based upon The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, first published by Steven R. Covey in 1989. It has sold more than 25 million copies in 38 languages. It is regarded as one of the most influential business books of the twentieth century.


Some of you have read it. Others of you have heard about it, have it on your bookshelf and mean to get around to it some day. I am going to make it easy for you to learn a little about this wonderful book. In the next several weeks, I will tell you about the Seven Habits. Yes, this is shameless promotion of one of the courses I facilitate. And, I hope that some of you will become interested in how they might be applied at your company or organization and hire me to offer The Seven Habits to your staff. However, my other purpose in writing here is to share with you something I have found incredibly powerful. It is my intention that you will be able to incorporate parts of this into your life and accomplish some great things which previously seemed unattainable.


While I was out running the other day, I thought that a good way to illustrate the power of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People would be to talk about how I apply them every day to triathlon. This blog is not about me doing triathlons. It is about Seven Habits which, if applied consistently, can make anyone a more effective person, at work, at home, or at play.

Some foundation before we dive into the habits themselves:

First, effectiveness involves not just producing results. Although, that is a very important component of effectiveness, there is a second, equally important part. That is, to maintain the producer so that he/she/it can continue to produce well in the future. As an example, I can run really hard day after day and I may produce good results...for a while. Eventually, however, I will burn out and/or get injured and not be able to produce any results, perhaps for an extended period. Being an effective triathlete involves adequate rest, recovery and planning of workouts. For instance, if I do a long, hard bike ride today, tomorrow I may not ride or I will do an easy one. By doing this, I make it possible to produce solid results over the long run. That is true effectiveness.

Second, effectiveness is about character. It begins from the inside out. It is not simply about what you show to the outside world, although image, personality and behavior have a big influence on our success. The real source of lasting effectiveness lies in who we are inside. Learning and practicing the Seven Habits can allow us to build our character and express it to the world.

So, if you are interested in becoming more effective at work and at home, watch for the next entry, Habit 1.

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