If we compile a list of the most frequently read and the most immensely effective books in the field of self help and inspiration, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People will surely be at the top. This book is one of the most highly recommended books ever simply because it offers great value for both your time and your money. It is based on the idea that what makes successful people achieve great heights is their way of handling life – in other words, their habits.

Our habits are what define us. Good habits make us a better person where as bad habits like smoking or telling impulsive lies destroy us. It actually takes a lot to quit bad habits and embrace good ones but once it is done, it can literally change our lives. Good habits are a blend of knowledge, skill and desire. Here is a brief overview of the seven habits that author Stephen R. Covey talks about in this bestseller.

Habit One: Be Proactive

What sets us humans apart from other living beings is self awareness and the ability to choose our responses. We are responsible for our actions; we alone have the power to control our reactions to situations or circumstances. In our life, we can choose to be either reactive or proactive. Suppose that at work, you feel great if your boss is happy with how you perform; if, on the other hand, he is not satisfied, you feel terrible. This is a reactive approach: in this way, we let situations or other people’s actions control us. Reactive people frequently use words like “I must”, “if only”, “they made me”, and “if I had”, among others.

By choosing to be proactive, we become aware that we can improve our lives by actively making decisions for ourselves, instead of just reacting to external forces that do not lie in out circle of control. By focusing on our circle of control (the things we can directly change and influence), we can start being proactive in our life. Unlike reactive people, proactive people choose words like “I prefer”, “I will”, “I choose to”, and “I can”:  you can see there is a world of difference between the very feeling of these words and that of the words used by reactive people!

Habit Two: Begin with the End in Mind

Set your goals, identify your values. Basically this habit is about developing a principle-based mission statement that you can stick to for life. Develop your goals on the basis of these mission statements. Write the script of your life in harmony with what you are.

Habit Three: Put First Thing First

‘Things which matter most should never be at the mercy of things which matter least’- Goethe

Schedule your priorities – this will make time management much easier for you. It will also help you in attaining balance in your life. Identify key roles in your life like that of an employer, a father, a son, or a brother, and consciously make time for each of them.

Habit Four: Think Win/Win

In relationships and work, strive to find arrangements that are good for everyone. Instead of going your way or my way, go for a way that is better for all. This will help develop mutual trust and understanding for all the involved parties, and make for healthier work/ personal relationships.

Habit Five: Seek First to Understand, Then to be understood

One of the key habits is to listen – really listen. By listening, I mean listening without making prior judgments, and arriving at a decision only after taking the time to diagnose the issue. It is important to seek understanding before you attempt to get your point across.

Habit Six: Synergize

If you want to expand your power to influence, be prepared to be influenced as well. Find ways to leverage individual differences to create a better whole.

Habit Seven: Sharpen the Saw

It takes time to really master whatever you are focused on, but it takes only little things to dramatically increase the effectiveness of your efforts. Make small, positive changes in your physical, emotional and spiritual self to create a huge impact.

So you want to break out from your financial Prison? Ok, well here is my 7 step guide on how to start doing that:

1. Write down your financial plan. Understand your actual situation and choose realistic goals for future.

2. Take control of your financial situation. Learn how to read and write a financial declaration.

3. It’s important to understand the difference between assets and liabilities. What is cash flow and why it’s so important ?

4. Buy assets first , liabilities second.

5. Start a part time business. This is the best alternative if you are a self employee.

6. Don’t work for money. Put money to work for you. It’s not so hard as it seems to be.

7. Improve your financial and investment knowledge.

Innovation is simply a creation of a new type of product or device that is the result of hard work, study and experimenting. Most people if asked would say that they don’t feel that they have what it takes to harness this inner innovative power, but really anyone can be capable of it.

It basically comes down to whether or not you believe that you have innovative power and how you think about it. If you think that you can not be innovative or come up with anything new and impressive, than you probably won’t, but if on the other hand you have a positive approach to things, you can accomplish and invent anything you want to.

Here are some good pointers to help you find your inner innovation power:

1. Always listen intuitively to your mind and your thoughts
2. Don’t waste your time listening to what other people say as this will only bring and add confusion to your thoughts and your mind
3. If you do have a fresh new thought, utilize your time and efforts in applying the idea and making people understand
4. Even if it brings negative feedback at first, stick with it and be positive
5. Always invest enough time to do it right- this does not mean that you have to devote all of your spare time to it, but be smart enough to manage your time
6. If you feel yourself getting frustrated and confused, exercise. This helps to clear your mind and allows you to focus
7. Listen to your ambitions. When you think you have ambitions and dreams to do something great, do not forget about them  believe in them.
8. Find your own way of doing something to listen to your inner <b>innovative powers</b>, don’t go by what everyone else says, and try your own approach.
9. Always put your all into everything that you do, approach every obstacle and challenge with passion and each endeavor with a new zest.

Following these steps can truly help you follow and listen to your innovative power that you might have not even known you had.

Have you ever wanted to come up with a new creation or change and recreate a part of your life to make it better? If so, you have to believe that it is possible and that you are capable to do it. Whatever your desire may be, it is yours for the making and is possible if you believe and know that it already lies within you. Think of it this way, if you really want to achieve something or have it happen to you, you have to feel it first – in other words, feel grateful for it before it is yours.

You need to be able to create new realities for yourself , and place a sort of mental order for something different and new and you can achieve this through ways of hoping, praying, dreaming and positive thinking. You have to realize what it is you truly want and how you want to feel when you have it.

Here are three simple steps to help you create new realities:

• Ask for it – determine what it is you want and ask. This can be in the form of thinking specifically about what you want and feel it  – feel what it will be like once you have it or once you achieve it, feel the happiness and be grateful. Your thoughts are the conduit for your new realities.
• Affirm it – declare the new realities that you desire. If you are trying to lose weight, picture yourself being that weight, happy and all of the good feelings that go along with it. Visualize this new way of thinking and how you will feel once you are able to attain it.
• Act on it – when you believe in yourself and in your dreams, you will have to act on them to make them come true. Act boldly and have confidence that you can achieve what you want and you

You may have to adjust your plans as you go along, but creating new realities starts in the mind and you have to believe in yourself and that you can achieve them. You have to commit to the idea of succeeding in your dreams and turning those dreams into new realities that are happy and positive.

The key to being innovative and creating innovation or any sort of success really begins in the ability to think clearly when facing challenges and problems. Creative solutions and outcomes stem from keeping a cool head and a clear mind. Don’t freak out after any little challenge or set back, instead learn from it, grow from it and become innovative.

The true secret to success and coming up with creative solutions is the ability to have emotional self management skills. These skills are priceless when if comes to being successful, innovative and overcoming challenges. The person who is able to keep their cool and have a clear mind is the person who is learning the art of self management and learning how to master their thoughts and emotions. This leads to clear and wise decisions and creating success.

The answer to creating self management skills is finding and creating a simple wisdom. This comes from learning to master your emotions and thoughts before they get out of control. Now, it may seem a little too much to think about learning how to control your thoughts and emotions, but if you think about it, it is truly the most effective way to mastering self management skills.

EFT or emotional freedom techniques are simple tools that you can use to be able to manage the stress responses what happen when we have to face a problem or challenge in life. They can help us restore ourselves to being calm, cool and centering our thinking.

These techniques can be as simple as finding stressful points on our foreheads, temples, neck or eyes and learning to apply pressure to them to be able to focus on removing the negative or stressful energies and harnessing the positive energies.

Techniques such as that, allow us to tap into our own positive thinking and energy in order to practice self management techniques. These techniques can help us keep our cool when faced with a stressful situation, and allow us to feel calm and relaxed and focused on where we want to be, our goals and our positive thoughts, rather than get wrapped up in the negativity that surrounds us from time to time. Learning to listen to your positive thoughts can truly make a big difference.