I first started reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People in 2004 or 2005. Even though the first few habits revolutionized my life, I never finished the book, which is why I wanted to read it again.

I thought I had only made it through the first three habits, since those are the ones that are deeply ingrained into my being. However, as I continue reading the book for our little book club, I keep seeing my notes in the margins. I figured I had only made it halfway through the last habit, but my notes kept going. And then I thought there was no way I had read

So far, the fourth habit from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, which is creating “Win/Win” solutions for everyone, is the habit I need to work on the most.

I can pinpoint some of my personal mindsets and experiences that lead me to struggle most with this habit. First, I tend to be a very black-and-white thinker. I have always struggled to see the gray, to see the third possibility (or fourth or fifth).

Secondly, I am very much plagued by what Covey calls the “Scarcity Mentality” or the belief that there is not enough (money, prestige, opportunity, etc.) to go around. For me, I think this paradigm

I’m so glad we’re moving into the habits of interdependence. The first three habits have done so much to help me increase my personal effectiveness; I’m eager to see how the last four will help me develop interdependence.

I love the anecdote about the guy who is frustrated by his wife’s jealousy and then finally admits that she’s jealous because he met her while cheating on his previous wife. Covey’s response was awesome: “You can’t talk your way out of problems you behave yourself into.” That truth connects to an idea later in the chapter about living with integrity by being loyal to those who are not present (i.e., not