Finally, school was over, two whole months full of nothing but relaxation, two months where I could do virtually anything I wanted whenever I wanted. Unfortunately, with every vacation comes an informational book accompanied by two reports/blog posts on it. Last time it was Peter Gray’s "Free to Learn", now, Sean Covey’s "7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens”, a self-help book that tackles teen life in an attempt to put adolescents back on track. I’ve always had a set opinion on self-help books, Lisa Simpson once defined this genre with a simple statement “[The Book] is just peddling a bunch of easy answers.” This book mainly retreads ideas that have been discussed over and over to the point that they’ve become cliches, unlike “Free to Learn” where author Peter Gray explored a completely unfamiliar concept. “7 Habits…” felt very familiar and not always in a good way, there was one concept I did like, the way that he contrasted proactive to reactive personalities and how these could affect who you are drastically. I’ve always considered myself a proactive person and based on the book’s criteria, I am one… Well, kind of, as in most cases, life is not black and white. One can never be 100% proactive as they can’t be completely reactive either. According to Sean Covey being proactive means that you take charge of your own life, you choose what you want to become and how you’re gonna get there, he states “Your life doesn’t just “happen.” Whether you know it or not, it is carefully designed by you.” While on the other side of the spectrum, reactive people tend to “go with the flow”, they let their circumstances rule their life as well as define who they are. In this day and age, where everything’s urgent and time is a valuable resource, being reactive is the easy alternative, it’s the option were the subject rejects the idea that they, for once, might be wrong. I’ve been guilty of being reactive and will be countless times in the future. For example, there have been many times where I left homework for the last minute, blaming the fact that there was no time because of swimming training when the truth of the matter is that I could’ve done it instead of watching movies all day, or going out, or playing video games. Rather than confronting the truth, reactors fool themselves into believing otherwise. What “7 Habits…” does great is explaining how the way you react to every situation matters, whether proactive or reactive, every step you take builds upon yourself. It helps one understand that each choice, no matter how small, has an influence on who you are as a whole.
1 Comment
Bon
13/1/2016 02:35:09 am
Cristobal, this is a problem that adults still feel. I often catch myself thinking in this way too. I guess it all boils down to whether or not you have a clear strategy in life. The reflection and personal connection though could be deeper.
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