Hello and welcome to my blog! This post will be a bit different, instead of a project reflection, I will be doing 3 small posts about all of the 7 habits. Title: How to Be the Main Character of Your Own Life (According to Sean Covey)

Enter Sean Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, starting with the first three habits that are all about conquering yourself before trying to conquer the world. Let’s break them down.

Habit 1: Be Proactive

Being proactive means you don’t just sit around waiting for things to happen—you make things happen. You’re not blaming your bad mood on your little brother, your teacher, or the weather. You’re saying, “Hey, I get to choose how I react. I’m not a robot. I’m a legend.” Covey uses the idea of “responsibility” = response-ability — your ability to choose your response. So yeah, life throws stuff at you. But being proactive is like having an emotional force field. You don’t flip out, you flip the script.

Pro tip: Stop saying “I can’t” and start saying “I will figure it out.” That’s proactive energy right there.

Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind

This habit is like playing chess instead of checkers. You’re not just reacting move by move—you’ve got a strategy. You’re not living on autopilot, bouncing from one TikTok to the next. You’re asking big questions like:

• Who do I want to be?
• What do I want people to remember me for?
• What would the highlight reel of my life look like?

Covey says to make a personal mission statement—a little life GPS. It’s like giving your brain a playlist of goals so it knows what direction to vibe in.

Fun idea: Write your mission statement and slap it on your wall, journal, or phone background. Instant motivation.

Habit 3: Put First Things First

Alright, this is where it gets real. You’ve got goals. You’ve got vision. Now you’ve got to prioritize like a boss. Habit 3 is about managing your time like it’s your most precious snack and you don’t want to waste a single bite. Covey introduces the idea of the Time Quadrants—fancy words for sorting your life into what’s urgent, important, or just straight-up distractions (looking at you, 3-hour YouTube rabbit holes).

Example:

• Homework due tomorrow? Urgent & Important.
• Practicing guitar? Not urgent, but important.
• Scrolling memes for two hours? Not urgent, not important (but weirdly addictive).

The goal: spend more time on what’s important but not urgent—like working on goals, exercising, building relationships. That’s where growth happens.

Pro move: Use a planner, a to-do list, or even a sticky note attack on your wall to plan your week around your priorities, not your procrastinations.

The Awesome Video:

Along with this post, I made a fun YouTube short about the first three habits. Since I was paired with Ella and Brooklyn, we chose our theme to be Harry Potter. The video follows the story of the tri-learning tournament when Harry and Ron decide to sign up but have no idea how to prepare. Hermione helps them become proactive learners by thinking with the end in mind and putting first things first.

The Big Picture:

• Habit 1: Take control. You’re not a victim—you’re the hero.
• Habit 2: Dream big and design your life with purpose.
• Habit 3: Prioritize what actually matters and stop getting sidetracked by stuff that doesn’t.

These first three habits are like building your own inner superhero. Once you master them, you’re not just surviving teen life—you’re owning it.

Want more? Stick around for the next post where we dive into Habits 4–6—aka, the teamwork and relationship power moves. Until then, go start being the main character of your own story.