原文来源：the 7 habits of highly effective people
原作者：Covey R Stephen
翻译及总结：一切都还不晚
译文仅供个人学习，不用于任何形式商业目的，转载请注明原作者、文章来源、翻译作者及简书链接，版权归原文作者所有。
自《高效能人士的七个习惯》第一次发表以来，世界发生了翻天覆地的变化。生活变得更加复杂，更多压力，对人们也提出更高的要求。我们已经从工业化时代进入到信息化，知识化时代，所有的东西都产生了深远重大的影响。我们个人的生活，家庭以及组织都面临着在过去十到二十年里无法想象的挑战与问题。这些社会变迁的广度和深度不仅前所未有，而且种类各式各样。
这些席卷而来的社会变革以及在数字化市场上发生巨大更迭，引发了一个非常重要的问题，那个我常常被问到的问题：“高效能人士的七个习惯在当今社会还依然能够起到作用吗？在以后的10年、20年、50年、100年呢？对此，我的回答是：变化越大，我们面临的挑战越严峻，那么7个习惯就越重要。原因是：我们的问题及痛苦是普遍存在的，并且越发严峻，而这些问题的解决之道将会是并且永远都是建立在这些普世，永恒，不正自明的原则之上，这些原则存在于人类历史上的每一个痛苦而又繁荣的社会之中。这些原则并不是我发明的，所以不能接受赞美，我只不过是发掘了她们并将它们组织起来置于一个有序的框架里。
我从生活中领悟到的一个重要的感悟就是：假如你想成就你的最高愿望，战胜严峻挑战，你就需要发掘并运用一些原则活着自然法则，因为这些东西将会控制着你在寻求的成功。而如何运用这些法则就特别依赖我们独一无二的力量，天赋以及创造力，但是，请记住最根本的是，在任何领域的成功都是源于我们的行动是否和这些和成功有密切联系的原则相吻合。
但是很多人都不是这样想的，或者至少存在怀疑。而实际上，你将会不断发现，这些原则性的解决办法通常会和我们流行文化里的做法及想法相背。在此，请允许我用几个我们人类普遍面临的挑战来解释它们之间的不同之处。
“恐惧以及不安全感”：如今很多人都有恐惧的心理。人们为未来感到担忧 ，在工作中感到脆弱，害怕失去自己的工作，害怕没有能力去赡养家人。这种脆弱通常预示着人们更愿意过零风险的生活，并且不愿意与别人合作，无论是在工作中还是在家里。然而，对于这种问题，我们的文化通常是教人们变得更加独立，教我们更加关注“我”和“我们”，我要工作，我要好好的工作，我要从工作中获得快乐。
独立是一个重要的，甚至是最重要的价值观和成就。但问题是，我们生活在一个相互协作的现实社会中，我们最重要的成就是需要相互协作的能力来完成的，这些成就仅仅依靠我们个人的力量是完全不能达到的。
“我现在就想得到”：人们想要很多并且现在就想得到，我要钱，我想得到一个即豪华又宽敞的房子，一辆豪华的汽车，一个很大且装修奢华的娱乐中心。我想要，我能得到。虽然，今天的信用卡让这些变得非常的容易，我们可以先消费后付款。但是，我们始终要记住一个痛苦的现实，那就是我们的购买力永远也赶不上产能。
无视这些其实是不能持续很久的，因为对利益的追逐是无情和残酷的。努力工作是远远不够的。在全球化市场及技术竞争的驱使之下，令人炫目的科技发展及激烈竞争在日益加剧。因此，我们不仅需要获得教育，更需要持续不断地再教育，并能重塑自我。我们必须发展大脑，并且要不断的强化、投资我们的竞争力，以此来避免惨遭淘汰。
在工作中，老板以结果为导向，而且理由充足。竞争趋于白日化，生存岌岌可危。今天必须有产出就是现实，这也代表着资本的要求。但是，值得称道的成功必定是不断进步与可持续的。你可能有能力完成你的季度指标，但是真正的问题是，你能进行必要的投资来获取未来5年、10年里不断提升和可持续的成功吗？我们的文化及华尔街总是在追求立竿见影的成果。但是，不可避免的是，我们既要满足今天的需求，也要投资未来以便有能力获得来日里成功，这也是我们的原则。这种原则同样适用于你的健康，你的婚姻，你的家庭关系，以及你所在社区的需求。
"责备和吹毛求疵"：当你遇到问题，你通常就会去谴责，社会往往就会成为备受谴责的替罪羊。“要是我的老板不是一个控制欲这样强的白痴就好了，要是我能出生富贵就好了，要是我能生活在一个更好的地方就好了，要是我能从老爸哪里遗传一个好脾气就好了，要是我的孩子能够更加听话就好了，要是那房子能够整洁有序就好了，要是我们是处在这样一个快速发展的行业就好了，要是人们能更加努力、充满斗志就好了，要是老婆能更加贴心一点就好了，要是，要是。。。”每当我们遇到问题和挑战时，指责其他人和事可能会给我们的痛苦带来暂时的安慰，但是这却会使我们束缚在这些问题上。对于一个来说，假如他能足够谦逊，去接受环境并能为之承担责任，能够拿出足够的勇气，用属于他的方式去创造性的战胜困难和避开挑战，由此你能从他身上看到不同选择所带来的巨大力量。
“绝望无助”。谴责周围的人和事的结果就是让自己变得玩世不恭、绝望无助。当我们屈服时，相信了我们就是环境的牺牲品时，向宿命里的厄运屈服时，我们就会失去希望，失去动力，我们将会陷入听天由命和停滞不前的境地。“我只是一个小兵，一个木偶，车轮上的一个齿轮而已，面对命运我无能为力。请告诉我我该怎么做？”
“缺乏生活的平衡”。在信息化时代，我们的生活变得更加多元，要求更高，压力更大，常常让人感到心力憔悴。尽管，我们付出了更多的努力去管理我们的时间，更加努力，更加积极，并且通过现代化的技术变得更加高效，但是为什么我们常常会不断地陷入一些鸡毛蒜皮的事情当中不能自拔，却将健康，家庭，品德以及其他一些能重要的东西放在了工作之后？但是，我们并不能将这些问题归咎于我们的工作，或者社会的复杂变迁。问题在于我们的流行文化里常常在说“早来，晚走，要更加高效，活在当下”，但是真正的平衡以及心灵的平静并不是由这些东西所能决定的，当一个人能清晰的明白对于自己来说什么是最重要的，并能专注于此，那么美好将会朝自己走来。
“我的定位在哪里？”我们的文化里常常教育我们说，假如我们想要获得什么东西，那么我们就必须成为第一。常常会听到“生命就是一场游戏，一次赛跑，一场比拼，因此你必须要赢。”同学，同事，亦或是家庭成员都被当做是竞争对手，对方赢得更多，那么留给你的就会越少。诚然，当别人赢得时候我们表面上会表现得大度为他们的成功喝彩，但私底下，在我们的内心的某个角落里，我们为被人的成功而感到羡慕嫉妒恨。
在人类历史文明中，许多伟大的事情都是由某个人的决绝意志来成就的。但是，在知识化时代，伟大的机遇及卓越的成就，往往会青睐那些懂得“我们”，具有团队精神的人。真正伟大的成就常常是由内涵丰富的头脑-无私的付出-相互的尊敬-互利共赢来创造。
渴望被理解。在人们的内心深处，没有什么渴望比被理解更加强烈了。希望别人聆听、尊重、重视你的心声，希望能影响别人。大多数人认为，影响他人的关键是有良好的沟通-清晰的表达你的观点，并能说服力十足。但实际上，只要你仔细思考下，你就会发现，当别人向你表达他的观点时，常常你并不是在真正的聆听，取而代之的是你在忙于思考自己该如何去说。真正的影响力是始于别人发现你正受到他们所影响，当他们感到你正在敞开心扉，真诚聆听，并能够理解他们时，他们就会感到有影响力了。但是，大多数人的情绪容易受到别人的影响，以至于不能真诚的聆听-在说出自己的想法之前，人们无法将自己的观点搁置一旁去专注于理解别人的想法。我们的文化迫切需要这种理解及影响力。然而，影响力的是以互相理解为原则，而要相互理解就至少需要一方能够是一个专注、主动的聆听者。
冲突以及分歧。人们是如此的相似，而又如此的不同。他们的想法不一样；他们有着不同的、有时甚至是对立的价值观、动机以及目标。冲突往往都是因为这些不同而导致的，我们的社会通常倾向于用竞争来解决这些冲突与分歧，以“全力以赴赢得胜利”为中心。尽管，有时我们会在追逐目标的过程中通过利用一些双方都接受的方式进行一定的妥协，也取得了一些比较好的结果，但是最后通常会导致双方都不是真正的满意。这些分歧导致人们只接受仅有的共识，而抵抗无法认可的部分，也产生了阻碍。这是很大的一种浪费！然而，人们没有通过充分的利用创造性的合作，找到相比任何一方的最初想法都好的解决办法，这也是另外的一种浪费。
个人停滞不前。人的本质是思维的-身体，头脑，心灵以及精神。请思考以下两种方式的不同及效果：
身体：
文化潮流：保持现在的生活方式，用手术及药物解决健康问题。
原则：通过调整现在的生活方式，通过已建立的、放之四海而皆准的健康原则来预防疾病和健康问题。
头脑：
流行文化：看电视，自娱自乐。
原则：广泛而深入的阅读，终身教育。
心灵：
流行文化：通过利用和别人的关系来获得个人私利。
原则：尊重别人，真诚聆听他人，为他人服务将会为你带来巨大的满足及愉悦。
精神：
流行文化：屈服于现实主义以及犬儒主义
原则：充分认识到原则是我们追寻生命的意义的根源，是积极向上的源泉，相信原则是自然法则，是上帝的恩惠。
我建议你不仅要把人类面临的挑战铭铭，记，同时也要将自己的实际需要以及挑战铭记于心。只要你按照这个去做，你将会获得长久的解决办法，找到生活的方向。你将会发现存在于流行文化里的方法和永恒的，亘古不变的原则之间有着大相径庭的不同之处。
就我个人来说，实践这7个习惯是一个不断挣扎的过程，主要原因就是，你做的越好，你就会发现我们面对的问题越复杂，就像滑雪，打高尔夫，网球或者其他运动。正是因为我努力工作并在不断的实践这7个习惯，因此我热切的希望能和你一起共度后面的这段成长经历。
The world has changed dramatically since The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was first published.Life is more complex,more stressful, more demanding.We have transitioned from the Industrial Age into the Information/Knowledge Worker Age-with all of its profound consequences.We face challenges and problems in our personal lives,our families, and our organizations unimagined even one and two decades ago.These challenges are not only of a new order of magnitude,they are altogether different in kind.
These sweeping changes in society and rumbling shifts in the digitized global marketplace give rise to a very important question—one I'm asked fairly often: "Are The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People still relevant today?"And for that matter, "Will they be relevant ten, twenty, fifty, one hundred years from now?" My answer: the greater the change and more difficult our challenges, the more relevant the habits become. The reason: our problems and pain are universal and increasing, and the solutions to the problems are and always will be based upon universal, timeless, self-evident principles common to every enduring, prospering society throughout history. I did not invent them and take no credit for them. I've simply identified and organized them into a sequential framework.
One of the most profound learnings of my life is this: if you want to achieve your highest aspirations and overcome your greatest challenges, identify and apply the principle or natural law that governs the results you seek. How we apply a principle will vary greatly and will be determined by our unique strengths, talents, and creativity, but, ultimately, success in any endeavor is always derived from acting in harmony with the principles to which the success is tied.
Many people do not think this way, at least consciously. In fact, you will increasingly find that principled solutions stand in stark contrast to the common practices and thinking of our popular culture. Allow me to illustrate this contrast with a few of the most common human challenges we face.
Fear and insecurity. So many people today are gripped with a sense of fear. They fear for the future. They feel vulnerable in the workplace. They are afraid of losing their jobs and their ability to provide for their families. This vulnerability often fosters a resignation to riskless living and to co-dependency with others at work and at home. Our culture's common response to this problem is to become more and more independent. “I'm going to focus on me and mine. I'll do my job, do it well, and get on to my real joys off the job.”
Independence is an important, even vital, value and achievement. The problem is, we live in an interdependent reality, and our most important accomplishments require interdependency skills well beyond our present abilities.
"I want it now."People want things and want them now. "I want money. I want a nice, big house, a nice car, the biggest and best entertainment center. I want it all and I deserve it." Though today's "credit card"society makes it easy to "get now and pay later,"economic realities eventually set in, and we are reminded, sometimes painfully, that our purchases cannot outstrip our ongoing ability to produce.
Pretending otherwise is unsustainable. The demands of interest are unrelenting and unforgiving. Even working hard is not enough. With the dizzying rate of change in technology and increasing competition driven by the globalization of markets and technology, we must not only be educated, we must constantly re-educate and reinvent ourselves. We must develop our minds and continually sharpen and invest in the development of our competencies to avoid becoming obsolete.
At work, the bosses drive results, and for good reason. Competition is fierce; survival is at stake. The need to produce today is today's reality and represents the demands of capital, but the real mantra of success is sustainability and growth. You may be able to meet your quarterly numbers, but the real question is, are you making the necessary investment that will sustain and increase that success one, five, and ten years from now? Our culture and Wall Street scream for results today. But the principle of balancing the need to meet today's demands with the need to invest in the capabilities that will produce tomorrow's success is unavoidable. The same is true of your health, your marriage, your family relationships, and your community needs.
Blame and victimism. Wherever you find a problem, you will usually find the finger-pointing of blame. Society is addicted to playing the victim."If only my boss wasn't such a controlling idiot… If only I hadn't been born so poor… If only I lived in a better place… If only I hadn't inherited such a temper from my dad… If only my kids weren't so rebellious… If only the other department didn't mess up orders all the time… If only we weren't in such a declining industry… If only our people weren't so lazy and without drive… If only my wife was more understanding… If only… If only."Blaming everyone and everything else for our problems and challenges may be the norm and may provide temporary relief from the pain, but it also chains us to these very problems.Show me someone who is humble enough to accept and take responsibility for his or her circumstances and courageous enough to take whatever initiative is necessary to creatively work his or her way through or around these challenges, and I'll show you the supreme power of choice.
Hopelessness. The children of blame are cynicism and hopelessness. When we succumb to believing that we are victims of our circumstances and yield to the plight of determinism, we lose hope, we lose drive, and we settle into resignation and stagnation. "I'm a pawn, a puppet, a cog in the wheel and can do nothing about it. Just tell me what to do."So many bright, talented people feel this and suffer the broad range of discouragement and depression that follows. The survival response of popular culture is cynicism—"just lower your expectations of life to the point that you aren't disappointed by anyone or anything."The contrasting principle of growth and hope throughout history is the discovery that I'm the creative force of my life."
Lack of life balance. Life in our cell phone society is increasingly complex, demanding, stressful, and absolutely exhausting. For all our efforts to manage our time, do more, be more, and achieve greater efficiency through the wonders of modern technology, why is it we increasingly find ourselves in the "thick of thin things"—subordinating health, family, integrity, and many of the things that matter most to our work? The problem is not our work, which is the sustaining engine of life. It's not the complexity or change. The problem is that our modern culture says,"go in earlier, stay later, be more efficient, live with the sacrifice for now"—but the truth is that balance and peace of mind are not produced by these; they follow the person who develops a clear sense of his or her highest priorities and who lives with focus and integrity toward them.
"What's in it for me?"Our culture teaches us that if we want something in life, we have to "look out for number one."It says,"Life is a game, a race, a competition, and you better win it."Schoolmates, work colleagues, even family members are seen as competitors—the more they win, the less there is for you. Of course we try to appear generous and cheer for others’ successes, but inwardly, privately, so many of us are eating our hearts out when others achieve.
Many of the great things in the history of our civilization have been achieved by the independent will of a determined soul. But the greatest opportunities and boundless accomplishments of the Knowledge Worker Age are reserved for those who master the art of we. True greatness will be achieved through the abundant mind that works selflessly—with mutual respect, for mutual benefit.
The hunger to be understood. Few needs of the human heart are greater than the need to be understood—to have a voice that is heard, respected, and valued—to have influence. Most believe that the key to influence is communication—getting your point across clearly and speaking persuasively. In fact, if you think about it, don't you find that, while others are speaking to you, instead of really listening to understand, you are often busy preparing your response? The real beginning of influence comes as others sense you are being influenced by them—when they feel understood by you—that you have listened deeply and sincerely, and that you are open. But most people are too vulnerable emotionally to listen deeply—to suspend their agenda long enough to focus on understanding before they communicate their own ideas. Our culture cries out for, even demands, understanding and influence. However, the principle of influence is governed by mutual understanding born of the commitment of at least one person to deep listening first.
Conflict and differences. People share so much in common, yet are so magnificently different. They think differently; they have different and sometimes competing values, motivations, and objectives. Conflicts naturally arise out of these differences. Society's competitive approach to resolving the conflict and differences tends to center on "winning as much as you can."Though much good has come from the skillful art of compromise, where both sides give on their positions until an acceptable middle point is reached, neither side ends up truly pleased. What a waste to have differences drive people to the lowest common denominator between them! What a waste to fail to unleash the principle of creative cooperation in developing solutions to problems that are better than either party's original notion!
Personal stagnation. Human nature is four dimensional—body, mind, heart, and spirit. Consider the differences and fruits of the two approaches:
BODY:
Cultural tendency: maintain lifestyle; treat health problems with surgery and medication.
Principle: prevent diseases and problems by aligning lifestyle to be in harmony with established, universally accepted principles of health.
MIND:
Culture: watch television,"entertain me."
Principle: read broadly and deeply, continuous education.
HEART:
Culture: use relationships with others to forward your personal, selfish interests.
Principle: deep, respectful listening and serving others brings greatest fulfillment and joy.
SPIRIT:
Culture: succumb to growing secularism and cynicism.
Principle: recognize that the source of our basic need for meaning and of the positive things we seek in life is principles—which natural laws I personally believe have their source in God.
I invite you to keep both these universal challenges and your own unique needs and challenges in mind. As you do, you will find enduring solutions and direction. You will also find the contrast between the popular culture's approach and the timeless, principled approach of the ages will become more and more evident.
I have personally found living the 7 Habits a constant struggle—primarily because the better you get, the very nature of the challenge changes, just like skiing, playing golf, tennis, or any sport does. Because I sincerely work and struggle every day at living these principle-embodied habits, I warmly join you in this adventure.
—Stephen R. Covey
