Part 1 - Paradigms and Principles Flashcards
Why is it important to examine your own motivations against your highest values?
Because they impact your perceptions which then impact your behavior and the results that follow.
Why can’t you be successful in the long run by trying to use human influence strategies and tactics if your character is fundamentally flawed, marked by duplicity and insincerity?
Once your duplicity breeds distrust, everything you do will be perceived as manipulative. Trust is the foundation for permanent success.
How is focusing on technique alone like cramming your way through school?
You sometimes get by. But if you don’t pay the price, day-in, and day-out, you never achieve true mastery of the subject you study or develop an educated mind.
What is a great quote by Emmerson which accurately describes the difference between personality and character?
“What you are shouts so loudly in my ear that I cannot hear what you say.”
How is the word paradigm used here?
It’s the way we see the world in terms of perceiving, understanding, interpreting.
When does trying to change outward attitudes and behaviors do very little good in the long run?
When we fail to examine the basic paradigms from which these attitudes and behaviors flow
What is the essence of being truly objective?
Realizing that we are subjective and take steps to compensate for that.
Who is the truly subjective person?
The one who believes that he is objective.
What is a paradigm shift?
The “Ah Ha!” experience; when someone finally sees things in a new and different way.
What is a central tenet of paradigm shifts?
The more bound a person is by the initial perception, the more powerful the “Ah Ha!” experience is, although the shift isn’t always instantaneous.
What is the fastest way to change a person’s paradigms?
Giving them a new role.
What is the character ethic based on?
The fundamental idea that there are principles that govern human effectiveness, almost as if these natural laws are part of the human condition.
What is a central tenet of life’s sequential stages of growth and development.
Each step is important and each step takes time. No step can be skipped. There are no shortcuts.
When is it not the right time to teach and why?
When relationships are strained and the air charged with emotion, an attempt to teach is often perceived as a form of judgement and rejection.
Which quote from Aristotle accurately sums up this book?
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit.”
What is our character basically?
A composite of our habits.
What is the character reaping maxim?
Sow a thought, reap an action, sow an action reap a habit, sow a habit, reap a character, sow a character, reap a destiny.
How are habits powerful factors in our lives?
They are consistent, often unconscious patterns that constantly express our character and produce our effectiveness.
Can habits change?
Yes, but it’s not a quick fix. It involves a process and a tremendous commitment.
How are habits defined for our purposes here?
We define a habit as the intersection of
- knowledge
- skill
- desire
In relation to habits, what is knowledge?
The theoretical “what” to do and “why”.
In relation to habits, what is skill?
The “how” to do.
In relation to habits, what is desire?
The motivation; the “want” to do.
How is changing habits sometimes a painful process?
It’s a change that has to be motivated by a higher purpose, by the willingness to subordinate what you think you want now for what you want later.
