Living the 7 Habits Section 1 Seeking Life Balance

Synergy and Third Alternatives

• A manager's situation with an urgent project, an insecure boss, and a dying mother exemplifies synergy and creating better third alternatives.
• The manager was juggling a major corporate initiative nearing completion and new responsibilities in another area.
• Simultaneously, her mother was diagnosed with cancer and given two weeks to three months to live.
• She realized the need to balance her career and spending time with her mother.
• Initially, she considered abandoning the project to care for her mother.
• She used interpersonal habits like thinking win-win and seeking to understand.
• Her supervisor was new, scrutinized, and needed the project completed effectively.
• Synergy naturally followed when both parties applied Habits 4 and 5 (Think Win-Win, Seek First to Understand).
• She completed project responsibilities via laptop from her mother’s hospital room.
• Office meetings were held with her joining by phone from the Oncology Critical Care Unit.
• Her mother enjoyed seeing her daughter working and engaged with the project, which diverted her from her medical routine.
• The project was completed successfully and on time, and she spent valuable time with her mother.
• The key was courageously sharing her dilemma with her supervisor.
• Synergy is the result of thinking win-win and seeking to understand, leading to new insights and alternatives.

Life Balance and Personal Health

• This demonstrates that synergy comes from life balance.
• At 45, a successful man was overweight due to compulsive eating and lack of exercise.
• His son expressed desire for his father to be healthy.
• This plea changed his perspective and he realized he was setting an unhealthy example for his children (modeling that physical health and self-control were unimportant).
• He committed to being healthy for his children, not just losing weight.
• He began with the end in mind, wanting to be vital and energetic for his kids.
• He implemented a diet and exercise program, sharing his goal with someone else.
• He prioritized his health and paid attention to his body's needs.
• Over time, exercising became a habit, and he found it easier to stay on track due to his commitment to his children.
• He experienced private victories which helped motivate him and reinforced his belief in his capabilities.
• A healthier lifestyle led to clarity of mind and the realization that his previous feelings of stiffness and fatigue were due to his lifestyle, not age.
• He recognized the connection between his body and his social, mental, and spiritual well-being.
• Mental clarity was a major benefit from exercising and improved his relationships.
• Decisions to eat healthily and exercise became more joyful, freeing emotional energy for his family.
• By tapping into deeper emotional and spiritual motivations, he gained control, perspective, willpower, clarity of mind, self-awareness, and personal freedom.
• Self-mastery is foundational to good relationships, and appetite control enables emotional and mental control.

Prioritizing Relationships

• Most people acknowledge an imbalance in their lives, focusing on work and neglecting treasured relationships.
• A man realized his life was out of control because he wasn't consistently spending time with his mother.
• He and his wife brainstormed a solution, scheduling a specific night (Wednesday) each week or two for him to spend with his mother.
• These evenings became a peaceful oasis, and activities included walks, meals, and shopping.
• After his father's death, he resolved to maintain and increase his relationship with his mother, calling her every day and visiting bi-weekly.
• Regular communication led to a new level of understanding, with phone calls feeling as intimate as face-to-face visits.
• Conversations became deeper and more insightful, sharing feelings rather than just experiences.
• His wife supported his time with his mother, understanding it would actually deepen their own relationship.

Principle-Centered Living

• When work is the center of our life, adding a new center can cause turmoil.
• A man who focused on his job realized he wanted to spend more time with his family after his son was born.
• He felt torn between family and work, and realized his priorities weren’t straight.
• Redefining what was important led to adjusting his life to affirm his priorities.
• He realized he was a control freak at work, not allowing others to participate.
• By delegating tasks, his associates felt more fulfilled and he had more time for important things.
• He started taking regular lunch hours with his family and improving his skills.
• His family moved to a small country town and he prioritized time with them.
• He learned what work had to be done, what work could be done, and what work shouldn't be done.
• Focusing on a higher principle allows for synergy between work and family.
• Paradigm shifts can occur, and are deeper than behavior or attitude shifts.
• Changing a person's role is the fastest way to change their paradigm.

Power of a Mission Statement

• Creating a mission statement helps identify purpose, vision, values, and important relationships.
• A mission statement is especially powerful when it deals with all the important roles in one's life.
• A woman added her extended family to her mission statement, which initially met with resistance from her immediate family.
• She stuck with the plan and scheduled a visit to two elderly aunts.
• Despite initial hesitation, the visit was a success and she learned stories of her childhood and family history.
• Three months later, one of the aunts passed away, and she felt grateful she followed her plan to visit.

Multidimensional Healing

• Stephanie and her husband were scuba diving when she experienced lung issues.
• Doctors later discovered Stephanie had a tumor in her chest.
• She began chemotherapy and radiation, and they prepared themselves for war against the tumor.
• This event shifted the husband's paradigm, making his family central to his life instead of his career.
• They created a Stephanie Recovery Plan, addressing physical, mental, spiritual, and social-emotional aspects.
• They approached the cancer as a family and community, seeking support from others.
• They realized time was precious and prioritized worthwhile activities and relationships.
• Stephanie maintained a positive mood and continued her morning walks to address her emotional, physical, and social needs.
• They became selective about their time and surrounded themselves with positive people.
• Her husband made family time a priority, taking time off to watch Les Miserables with her.
• They took a holistic approach and believed that they concentrated on the whole person, and planned for the long term.
• He is taking a two-month leave of absence. They bought a motor home, are pulling the kids out of school, and going to Baja California to drive the beaches. They set some goals for their trip: Closer as a family, increase religious faith, celebrate Stephanie, have and adventure, and and experience a unique culture.
• Stephanie recovered and has remained cancer-free for five years.
• They had to recommit to their lifestyle due to the everyday, no-pressure pace of life.
• Serious illness can draw upon medical, physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual sources of healing.
• Medical technology optimizes the conditions for the body's natural healing forces.
• Physical health must be maintained through nutrition, exercise, and rest.
• Mental visualization can aid in overcoming disease.
• Social support from loved ones brings hope.
• Emotional well-being can be tapped into through positive attitudes.
• Spiritual faith provides strength and comfort.