Everyday Greatness: Inspiration for a Meaningful Life

Everyday

Greatness

Inspiration for a Meaningful Life

Everyday

Greatness

Reader's

Digest

INSIGHTS AND COMMENTARY BY

Stephen R. Covey

Compiled by David K. Hatch

Rutledge Hill Press®

Nashville, Tennessee

A Division of Thomas Nelson Publishers

www.ThomasNelson.com

Copyright © 2006 by FranklinCovey Co.

and The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published by Rutledge Hill Press, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc.,

P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, Tennessee 37214.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Covey, Stephen R.

Inspiration for a meaningful life : everyday greatness / Steven R. Covey and Readers’s Digest / Compiled by David K. Hatch.

p. cm.

Includes bibiographical references.

ISBN-13: 978-1-4016-0241-3 (hardcover)

ISBN-10: 1-4016-0241-X (hardcover)

ISBN-13: 978-1-4016-0356-4 (IE)

ISBN-10: 1-4016-0356-4 (IE)

1. Conduct of life. I. Hatch, David K., 1958–

II. Readers’ Digest Association. III. Title.

BJ1531.C69 2006

170'.44—dc22

2006019786

Printed in the United States of America

06 07 08 09 10 — 7 6 5 4 3

CONTENTS

Introduction

SEARCHING FOR MEANING

1. Contribution

2. Charity

3. Attention

TAKING CHARGE

4. Responsibility

5. Courage

6. Discipline

STARTING WITHIN

7. Integrity

8. Humility

9. Gratitude

CREATING THE DREAM

10. Vision

11. Innovation

12. Quality

TEAMING WITH OTHERS

13. Respect

14. Empathy

15. Unity

OVERCOMING ADVERSITY

16. Adaptability

17. Magnanimity

18. Perseverance

BLENDING THE PIECES

19. Balance

20. Simplicity

21. Renewal

Afterword

Acknowledgments

Notes

INTRODUCTION

DR. STEPHEN R. COVEY

Ifeel blessed.

In a world where turmoil dominates the evening news and words of discouragement often prevail, I feel blessed to meet daily with individuals around the globe whose lives convince me that there is an abundance of good among us.

In a day when we hear so much of corporate scandals and ethical breaches, I feel blessed to associate with leaders of nations, heads of business, and first time supervisors whose lives are filled with integrity and moral fortitude.

In a time when echoes of crime, war, natural disasters, and disease are common, I feel blessed to work with law enforcers, military experts, civic administrators, and medical professionals who sacrifice much and whose intentions are honorable.

In an age when parenthood and family ties are being challenged as perhaps never before, I feel blessed to know strong fathers and noble mothers who by day and night do their best to provide sustenance and nurturance for their children.

And, in an era when schools and youths are being bombarded with negativism and sensitive social dilemmas, I feel blessed to be familiar with dedicated teachers and talented youths who are rich in character and committed to make a difference—each in their own unique way.

Indeed, I feel blessed to encounter people from all walks of life and all parts of the world who are genuinely good and who do so much to contribute to the world around them. They inspire me.

Probabilities are high that you are such a person.

A COLLECTION FOR OUR TIMES

Yes, I believe that the majority of people in this world are good people doing good things, and that we should not let the noise of the negative minority drown out the steady sound of good that is around us.

But let me also say this. While so many of us are up to good things and probably deserve more credit than we give ourselves, most of us know that the goodwe are doing does not always represent our best. And so in our quieter moments, we sense there is still more we can be getting out of life, more we can be giving.

Isn’t that true for you?

I like to approach life with the belief that my most important work is always ahead of me, not behind me, and my personal motto is Live life in crescendo. As a result, I feel a persisting desire to stretch myself in new directions, to look for worthy ways to make a difference. And when I personally experience the desire for life enhancement, I find it valuable to have a resource such as this collection available for reading and reflection. Gathered by Reader’s Digestfrom decades of classic success literature and from many of the most currently respected people around the globe, it is a true treasury of timeless principles and practical insights for optimizing life—a collection for our times.

For you, I hope this collection will have at least three outcomes. First, I hope you will be able to sit back, relax, and enjoy your reading. Let’s face it. Life is not easy. The world is in commotion and all forecasts point toward more turbulence ahead. So much of what we hear and read these days is discomforting, even rattling. As such, it is increasingly rare to be able to sit down and enjoy an uplifting reading experience such as this.May you find it to be a refuge from the storm, a haven of hope.

Second, I hope this collection will provide you with inspiration as to how you personally can get a little more out of life—and, yes, give a little more, too. For more than eighty years, Reader’s Digesthas been a fountain of insights for effective living. We are so fortunate to have literally hundreds of their most inspiring stories and insights brought together in this one collection. My desire is that some piece of what you read will provide the nudge you may be seeking to advance you from doing good to doing your best, both today and in your pathways ahead.

Third, I hope this collection will arouse within you a greater passion for being a transition person. A transition person is one who breaks the flow of bad—the negative traditions or harmful practices that get passed from generation to generation, or from situation to situation, whether in a family, a workplace, a community, or wherever. Transition persons transcend their own needs and tap into the deepest, most noble impulses of human nature. In times of darkness, they are lights, not judges; models, not critics. In periods of discord, they are change catalysts, not victims; healers, not carriers. Today’s world needs more transition persons.Trust yourself to become one of the best, and watch your influence grow.

EVERYDAY GREATNESS

Occasionally, the world witnesses a heroic feat or discovers a person with rare talent. Every now and then, a scientist makes a pivotal discovery or an engineer designs a revolutionary device. Each decade or so, a pair of politicians sign a bold peace initiative. Annually, extravagant affairs tout the year’s best actors, musicians, athletes, and salespeople, while hometown festivals crown the person who can eat the most chili peppers or sound the best yodel.

Such singular events and accomplishments often appear in sizzling media headlines under the banner of greatness. And in most cases they do represent a type of greatness that is deserving of attention and applause. For many of them represent achievements that move society forward in significant, progressive ways, while others simply add a much needed measure of spice and humor to life.

But most people know there is another type of greatness that tends to be more quiet by nature, one that generally escapes the headlines. Yet, it is a greatness that in my opinion is deserving of higher honor, even more respect. I call it Everyday Greatness.

Everyday Greatness is what I have called, in other settings, primary greatness. It has to do with character and contribution, as distinguished from secondary greatness, which has to do with notoriety, wealth, fame, prestige, or position. Everyday Greatness is a way of living, not a one-time event. It says more about who a person is than what a person has, and is portrayed more by the goodness that radiates from a face than the title on a business card. It speaks more about people’s motives than about their talents; more about small and simple deeds than about grandiose accomplishments. It is humble.

When asked to describe Everyday Greatness, people typically respond with descriptions of individuals they know personally, such as a farmer who year in and year out weathers the storms of life, provides for family, and helps neighbors. Or a mother who knows she is not perfect but who perseveres in doing her everyday best to exhibit unconditional love to a challenging child. They describe a grandparent, a teacher, a work colleague, a neighbor, or a friend who is always dependable, honest, hardworking, and respectful of others. Above all, they describe someone who is within reach of emulation, sensing that they do not have to be the next Gandhi or Abraham Lincoln or Mother Teresa to exhibit Everyday Greatness.

Yes, the type of people they describe when trying to define Everyday Greatness are the same caliber of people I described in the opening lines of this Introduction—people who, despite the negative noise in the world, still somehow find ways to step up and do their part to make a positive contribution. The key is that it is all part of who they are every day.

THREE EVERY DAY CHOICES

So what leads to Everyday Greatness? What is at its roots?

I am convinced that the answer lies in three every day choices, choices that each of us make every day of our life, whether we are consciously aware of them or not.

#1—THE CHOICE TO ACT

The first choice we make each and every day is, Will we act upon life,or will we merely be acted upon?

Clearly we cannot control everything that happens to us. Life hits like the waves of the ocean as one event rolls in after another. Some events are incidental, causing us little or no impact. Others virtually pummel us. But each day we make the choice: Will we be as driftwood that passively floats with the tides and currents of the day, or will we instead take proactive responsibility for determining our actions and destinations?

On the surface, the choice is an easy one. After all, who would not prefer to act upon life rather than be acted upon? But at the end of the day, only our actions provide the truest answers. For many people say they want to be in charge of their life, but then they turn their evening schedules over to their television sets to determine when and what they will do. Others say they have lofty career dreams and goals, but then they turn responsibility for their skill development over to their employers. Still others say they want to stand by firm values, but then they let their integrity shrivel under the slightest bit of opposition. So, yes, many people say they want to act upon life, but at the end of the day it appears more that life is acting upon them.

To the contrary, each and every story in this collection represents a person who chooses to act. They are people who recognize that while we cannot always choose what happens to us, we can choose our responses. Some of the people are well known by name, most are not. Some make choices heroic in nature, most do not. Some make choices in public settings, most do not. Most are common people making common choices in everyday private ways. I challenge you to explore their lives and the choices they make. See if you do not observe the same theme that I observe—that those who get the most out of life and those who give the most are those who make the choice to act.

We can and we should become the creative force of our own lives—and of our own futures.