First Things First: To Live, to Love, to Learn, to Leave a Legacy
Author: Stephen R. Covey, A. Roger Merrill, Rebecca R. Merrill
List Price: $15.00
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ISBN: 0684802031
Publisher: Free Press (17 January, 1996)
Sales Rank: 603
Average Customer Rating: 4.32 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
First Things First - A Philosophy for Living Life
This is a must read for professionals in any walk of life. Covey and the Merrill's (the coauthors) promote a principle centered leadership style focusing on personal leadership. Their philosophy is that you can't lead others unless you can lead your own life first. The authors promote that when a person aligns his or her life with internal principles, then that person is able to focus on what's important, not what's urgent. Why? Because many times things become urgent due to a lack of prioritization in our lives. The authors title the initial chapter "How Many People on Their Deathbed Wish They'd Spent More Time at the Office?" Aptly describing the urgency addiction that many people face in today's hectic lifestyle, Covey and the Merrills walk through a methodology that shows how to reconnect with our core beliefs and then to live accordingly. Not that there aren't days when you should be working long hours, but those hours should be spent on important issues that yield quality of life results. People should not be mired in frivolous paperwork and detail that doesn't impact their life and those around them in a positive way. Covey and the Merrills write an inspirational book that should be used as a resource to refer to time and time again. The insight embodied in their work transcends much of the consumerism and materialistic values of modern life and reconnects us with the wisdom literature of the ages. Anybody preparing for, or currently in, a leadership position should read this book.
Rating: 5 out of 5
--Read only if you¿re serious about controlling your life.--
WHILE COPIES OF COVEY'S _SEVEN HABITS_ were still conspicuous business accessories on public transportation and at latte shops, the people who were changing the world had moved on to the book that cracked the shell on the third habit: putting first things first.
Everyone who has heard the phrase "time management" could suggest prioritizing. Covey, Merrill and Merrill dare to entertain, "How do you do that? How do you know what's first when your plans are buffeted by circumstances, business and people you love-whom you've already put 'first?'"
Excellence is not required by their success formula. You are guided in choosing how driven you want to be by your priorities, and you'll know what (or who) is suffering when you decide to read junk mail.
If your reluctance in addressing time management stems from (1) not wanting to lose yourself and your life in order to finish your list, or (2) no one can help you because you choose to wear more hats than the people who usually offer advice will allow, then _First Things First_ is the FIRST, and possibly only, book you need to read.
Rating: 1 out of 5
Why do we complicate our lives?
I started reading through this and thought to myself: "are there actually people out there that have complicated their lives to the point of needing something like this to help them?"
Really. Think about that. If your family isnt number one on your list and you spend too much time working late and missing out on the most important things in life then you simply need to look ahead a few years and think of what you could or could not miss out on and what regrets you may have. Slow down Americans. We are driving ourselves mad to be a part of the machine. Similar Products
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