Thank you, Mr. Covey. Thank you for your wisdom
This was supposed to be a no-blog day, since my workload is crazy heavy (not to mention I’m in the kitchen crew this week) and I have to prepare lessons, talks, and whatnot. But what I saw in the news shocked and saddened me to the core; so much so that I had to drop everything and write a post.
Steven Covey, author of the granddaddy of self-help books, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, has died at the age of 79. He didn’t die of a lifestyle disease or anything like that. He died from complications of a bicycle accident. He was active, and highly effective, to the very end.
This amazing man’s work has touched millions of lives, including mine and so many of my friends’. Simply put, he made our lives better. He made us better people.
Not only have our personal lives have been touched by his work, but his influence even extends to my professional and ministry life.
Some of the best messages at church (and our church’s retreats) used the 7 Habits that Mr. Covey espoused, as well as a later book, The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness
Covey’s book, The Leader in Me, is a must have for every teacher and school owner. It inspired my boss so much that he implored us in the faculty to read it and inspire every child to greatness like what is said in the book.
I placed the The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective Teens (written by Sean Covey, Steven’s son, who humorously described himself as his dad's guinea pig) as one of the required books for the Literature curriculum. My students read 8-9 books/novels a year, and about 2 of them per year are in the “self-improvement” category (I also call them “grow books”). My students have quoted some of the words of wisdom from the book whenever tough times come.
So thank you for the “7 Habits” Stephen Covey. To say that you inspired and influenced millions of individuals is a huge understatement. So many people have better personal and professional lives because of your work. For that, sir, we are forever indebted.
