Tag: 7 habits

7 habits part 3 (last but not least!)

Posted on by elsaw

Hello and welcome to my final mini post about the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. I’ve already talked about the first 6 habits and why they are important, so now I’ll explain a bit about the final habit: Sharpen the Saw.

This habit is all about self-renewal—taking time to regularly recharge your energy, so you can stay balanced, effective, and resilient in all areas of life.

What Does It Mean to “Sharpen the Saw”?

Covey uses the image of a person cutting down a tree with a dull saw. They’re exhausted, frustrated, and making very little progress. Someone suggests they stop to sharpen the blade, but they respond, “I don’t have time—I’m too busy sawing.” It’s a powerful metaphor for life. We’re often so focused on pushing forward—studying, working, staying busy—that we forget to take care of the one thing doing all the work: ourselves. Habit 7 encourages you to regularly pause and invest in four key areas of personal health:

1. Body – Physical Renewal

This includes sleep, exercise, nutrition, and rest. When your body is healthy, your energy improves, your focus sharpens, and your mood stabilizes. Taking care of your body isn’t about looking a certain way—it’s about feeling your best so you can perform your best.

Ways to renew physically:

  • Prioritize regular sleep
  • Move your body each day—even a short walk counts
  • Eat foods that fuel you, not just fill you

2. Mind – Mental Growth

Your brain, like a muscle, needs to be challenged and engaged. That means more than just going through the motions at school. Mental renewal comes from learning new things, reading, solving problems, and engaging in meaningful discussions.

Ways to renew mentally:

  • Read for pleasure or curiosity, not just assignments
  • Challenge yourself with creative thinking or problem-solving
  • Learn a new skill or hobby

3. Heart – Emotional Connection

This area focuses on your relationships and emotional well-being. When your heart is strong, you’re better able to handle challenges, support others, and create healthy, positive connections.

Ways to renew emotionally:

  • Spend quality time with people who support you
  • Practice gratitude or journaling
  • Talk openly when you’re struggling

 

4. Soul – Spiritual Renewal

This doesn’t have to be religious. Soul renewal means connecting with something deeper—your values, purpose, and peace of mind. It’s what grounds you when life feels overwhelming.

Ways to renew spiritually:

  • Take quiet time for reflection or meditation
  • Spend time in nature
  • Do something that gives you a sense of meaning

Why Habit 7 Matters

It’s easy to see self-care as optional or even selfish, especially when life feels busy. But sharpening the saw isn’t about doing less—it’s about making sure you have the strength and clarity to do what matters most, well. When you regularly renew yourself, you avoid burnout, stay focused on your goals, and show up better for others. You become more resilient—not just productive, but fulfilled.

The Video:

This is the fun part! For the last video we were paired up randomly. My group was Sven, Samuel, and Maggie! Our idea was relatively simple, although it was super fun to film and we tried to make it easier to follow by adding some humor. On our filming day we went to Maggie’s house and did about 2 1/2 hours of filming. Our story goes like this: Svenette and Samina are very stressed, so they decide to read a book. (Guess which book that might be…) the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens! As they read through the book they find habit 7. They decide that working on themselves is a really good idea. So they go to the gym for their physical health. Their dads are super supportive of this because they also value physical health. But when it’s time for a social/emotional renewal, their dads thing that they are lazy and should be working out instead. At the end, the dads réalise that it’s all about balance.

(I couldn’t post the video to youtube for some reason, if I figure it out I’ll come back and post it here)

Final Thought

Habit 7 reminds us that success isn’t just about achieving more—it’s about sustaining it over time. Growth without balance eventually leads to burnout. But when you commit to taking care of yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, you build a strong foundation that supports everything else in your life.

Thanks for reading my post. I hope you enjoyed the little mini post series, and learned as much as I did from Sean Covey. 

7 Habits (with a Hunger Games twist)

Posted on by elsaw

May The 7 Habits Be Ever In Your Favour

By now, you’ve probably heard about the importance of getting your personal life in order—being proactive, setting goals, and managing your time. That’s what the first three habits of Sean Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens are all about. But once you’ve got a handle on yourself, it’s time to level up and learn how to work effectively with others.

That’s where Habits 4, 5, and 6 come in.

These habits aren’t about pretending to get along with people or faking teamwork in group projects. They’re about learning how to build real, strong, and productive relationships—whether it’s with friends, family, classmates, or teammates.

Habit 4: Think Win-Win

The mindset of mutual success

In a world where everything can feel like a competition—grades, sports, college admissions—it’s easy to fall into a “win-lose” mentality. But Habit 4 challenges that by asking: What if everyone could win? A win-win mindset is about seeking solutions that benefit everyone, not just yourself. It’s not about being overly nice or giving in all the time. It’s about balancing courage with consideration. You stand up for yourself while also respecting others.

Why it matters:

  • It builds trust in your relationships.
  • It encourages collaboration instead of conflict.
  • It helps you avoid unnecessary power struggles.

Whether it’s working out a disagreement with a friend or sharing responsibilities in a group project, thinking win-win leads to stronger and more respectful outcomes.

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

Listening is more powerful than you think

If we’re honest, most of us aren’t great listeners. We hear people, but we’re often planning our reply while they’re still talking. Habit 5 flips that by encouraging us to truly understand the other person before jumping in with our own thoughts. This means listening with empathy—not just with your ears, but with your heart. It’s about putting yourself in the other person’s shoes and seeing things from their perspective.

What this looks like in real life:

  • When a friend is upset, don’t rush to offer advice. Just listen.
  • If your parents are frustrated, try to understand why before reacting.
  • In a disagreement, repeat back what the other person is saying to show you get it.

When people feel heard, they’re more open to hearing you in return. This habit is the foundation of healthy communication.

Habit 6: Synergize

Better together than alone

Synergy is when a group of people combine their strengths and differences to create something better than anyone could achieve individually. It’s not just about working together—it’s about working together well. In a synergized environment, differences aren’t seen as problems. They’re seen as assets. One person might be good at organizing, another at creative thinking, another at public speaking. Together, they can create results far beyond what one person could do alone.

How to build synergy:

  • Value differences in people’s perspectives and talents.
  • Communicate openly and respectfully.
  • Look for creative solutions that incorporate everyone’s input.

This habit is key not just for school and sports, but for life. Whether you’re in a band, a family, or a business team someday—knowing how to collaborate is a superpower.

The Video:

for my video I was with Ella and Brooklyn. All three of us are avid readers and we really wanted to tie in some of our favourite series to our videos. Our goal was to make the video a bit silly but at the same time, educational. We based our video off the series “The Hunger Games”. In our video, there are three tributes left in the games, they all agree to work together to escape the arena. I think that we were really creative with our ideas and hopefully made the video a little easier to pallet with some side lore. Make sure to check out my teammates blogs!

Conclusion:

Habits 4–6 take the focus off just you and help you become more effective in your interactions with others. They’re about respect, teamwork, and communication—skills that will serve you well in every part of your life. Thank you for reading this post, I hope you enjoyed. Make sure to stick around for my last post.

7 Habits : part 1

Posted on by elsaw

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.