THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEENS By Sean Covey

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens is essentially a self-help book written with teens in mind, composed by Sean Covey. A well designed book, the Habits are meant to help teens take full advantage of their lives and maximize their living.

Habit 5 (Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood) seems to be the most effective of the Habits. The Deepest Need of the Human Heart is revealed. Above everything else, a person desires to be respected and valued for who they are. I agree with this. A person who suffers from depression is more than likely misunderstood. True, they may be understood and it is because of that that they ARE depressed; ways to change oneself for the better are proposed elsewhere in the tome.

"I shouldn't have to change, people should like me for who I am!" If this is your mindset, persistence and patience will become your best friends. There will be some people that eventually come into your life that will like you for who you are. Be 'ware though. They may be part of the wrong crowd. That is not to say that you are a magnet that attracts negativity. It is to say that evil always looks attractive. Be 'ware. And to clarify, "eventually come into your life," does not mean to wait around and let them come to you. The best things in life are usually the ones worth pursuing.

I apologize for branching off on my own rant but it seemed to me that it held some relevance. Back to Sean. In this chapter, he describes five ineffective listening styles and provides methods that can be taken and procedures that are do-able to overcome these enemies to the ears. The difference between listening and hearing is alluded to and is very important to know while playing the game of Life.

Sean hardly ever tramples on and scolds those of us who do the opposite of what he advises. Additional ways are introduced to prevent this "slipping backwards" and, of course, we are only human, so to mess up occasionally is natural.


This book is worth a casual glance every now and then. Of course, it should not be followed strictly. To have the plan of your whole life set in stone, carved by an author, is not the best thing to do. This would actually prevent you from living every now and then. But several tips from the book are helpful; maybe even a laugh will escape you while reading (Top 10 All-Time Stupid Quotes is one of the segments). So to surmise, read this if you need help in managing your life or are just curious but if you are completely content with life (ha), steer clear.