Summary :

The personality ethic & character ethic :

The character ethic taught that there are basic principles of effective living, and that people can
only experience true success and enduring happiness as they learn and integrate these principles
into their basic character.

In personality ethic : Success became more a function of personality, of public image, of

attitudes and behaviors, skills and techniques, that lubricate the processes of human interaction.

This personality ethic essentially took two paths: one was human and public relations
techniques, and the other was positive mental attitude (PMA).
The power of paradigm :

Paradigm is the way we see the world around us. Another way to understand it, is by seeing
paradigm as maps of a territory. “A map is simply an explanation of certain aspects of the
territory. That's exactly what a paradigm is. It is a theory, an explanation, or model of something
else”.
The power of a paradigm shift:

Perhaps the most important insight to be gained from the perception demonstration is in the
area of paradigm shifting, what we might call the "Aha!" experience when someone finally
"sees" the composite picture in another way.

Example :

For Ptolemy, the great Egyptian astronomer, the earth was the center of the universe. But
Copernicus created a Paradigm Shift, and a great deal of resistance and persecution as well, by
placing the sun at the center. Suddenly, everything took on a different interpretation.
Seeing and being :

Our Paradigms are the way we "see" the world or circumstances -- not in terms of our visual
sense of sight, but in terms of perceiving, understanding, and interpreting. Paradigms are
inseparable from character. Being is seeing in the human dimension.

The Principle-Centered Paradigm :

While practices are situationally specific, principles are deep, fundamental truths that have
universal application. They apply to individuals, to marriages, to families, to private and public
organizations of every kind. When these truths are internalized into habits, they empower
people to create a wide variety of practices to deal with different situations.

Principles are the territory. Values are maps. When we value correct principles, we have truth
-- a knowledge of things as they are.
Principles of Growth and Change :

The glitter of the personality ethic, the massive appeal, is that there is some quick and easy way
to achieve quality of life -- personal effectiveness and rich, deep relationships with other people
-- without going through the natural process of work and growth that makes it possible.

The personality ethic is illusory and deceptive. And trying to get high-quality results with its
techniques and quick fixes is just about as effective as trying to get to some place in Chicago
using a map of Detroit.

In all of life, there are sequential stages of growth and development. A child learns to turn
over, to sit up, to crawl, and then to walk and run. Each step is important and each one takes
time. No step can be skipped.

The Way We See the Problem is the Problem:

Whether people see it or not, many are becoming disillusioned with the empty promises of the
personality ethic.
“As I travel around the country and work with organizations, I find that long-term thinking
executives are simply turned off by psyche up psychology and "motivational" speakers who have
nothing more to share than entertaining stories mingled with platitudes. “
They want substance; they want process. They want more than aspirin and band-aids. They want
to solve the chronic underlying problems and focus on the principles that bring long-term
results.

A New Level of Thinking:

Albert Einstein observed, "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level
of thinking we were at when we created them”.

When dealing with problems around us, we begin to realize that these are deep, fundamental
problems that cannot be solved on the superficial level on which they were created-Personality
ethic cannot solve them.

We need a new level, a deeper level of thinking -- a paradigm based on the principles that
accurately describe the territory of effective human being and interacting -- to solve these deep
concerns.
The new way of thinking is “the Inside out” approach.

"Inside-Out" means to start first with self; even more fundamentally, to start with the most
inside part of self -- with your paradigms, your character, and your motives.

“””” The Inside-Out approach says that Private Victories TM precede Public Victories TM,
that making and keeping promises to ourselves precedes making and keeping promises to
others. It says it is futile to put personality ahead of character, to try to improve
relationships with others before improving ourselves. “””
T. S. Eliot's observation:

““”We must not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where
we began and to know the place for the first time.”””

Important overview:

“””We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. “””—Aristot

Our character, basically, is a composite of our habits. "Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an
action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny," the maxim
goes.

Habits, have tremendous gravity pull -- more than most people realize or would admit. Breaking
deeply imbedded habitual tendencies such as procrastination, impatience, criticalness, or
selfishness that violate basic principles of human effectiveness involves more than a little
willpower and a few minor changes in our lives. "Lift off" takes a tremendous effort, but once we
break out of the gravity pull, our freedom takes on a whole new dimension.

What is a habit?

It is the intersection of knowledge, skill, and desire.

-Knowledge is the theoretical paradigm, the what to do and the why.

-Skill is the how to do.

-Desire is the motivation, the want to do.

Maturity continuum

1- We each begin life as an infant, totally dependent on others.

2- Then gradually, over the ensuing months and years, we become more and more
independent – physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially.
3- As we continue to grow and mature, we become increasingly aware that all of nature is
interdependent, that there is an ecological system that governs nature, including society.
We further discover that the higher reaches of our nature have to do with our
relationships with others -- that human life also is interdependent.

Life is, by nature, highly interdependent. To try to achieve maximum effectiveness through
independence is like trying to play tennis with a golf club -- the tool is not suited to the reality.

Effectiveness

Effectiveness lies in the balance -- what I call the P/PC Balance TM. P stands for production of
desired results, the golden eggs. PC stands for production capability, the ability or asset that
produces the golden eggs.

Habit 1: Be Proactive --Principles of Personal Visio

“I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to
elevate his life by conscious endeavor. “
-- Henry David Thorea
Self-awareness:

Self-awareness enables us to stand apart and examine even the way we "see" ourselves -- our
paradigm, the most fundamental paradigm of effectiveness. It affects not only our attitudes and
behaviors, but also how we see other people. It becomes our map of the basic nature of
mankind.

Social mirror:

If the only vision we have of ourselves comes from the social mirror -- from the current social
paradigm and from the opinions, perceptions, and paradigms of the people around us -- our view
of ourselves is like the reflection in the crazy mirror room at the carnival.

"You're never on time."

"Why can't you ever keep things in order?"
"You must be an artist!"

These visions are disjointed and out of proportion. They are often more projections than
reflections, projecting the concerns and character weaknesses of people giving the input rather
than accurately reflecting what we are.

Between Stimulus and Response:

Within the freedom to choose are those endowments that make us uniquely human. In addition
to self-awareness, we have imagination -- the ability to create in our minds beyond our present
reality. We have conscience -- a deep inner awareness of right and wrong, of the principles that
govern our behavior, and a sense of the degree to which our thoughts and actions are in
harmony with them. And we have independent will -- the ability to act based on our self-
awareness, free of all other influences.

Our unique human endowments lift us above the animal world. The extent to which we exercise
and develop these endowments empowers us to fulfill our uniquely human potential. Between
stimulus and response is our greatest power -- the freedom to choose.

"Proactivity" Defined:

While the word proactivity is now fairly common in management literature, it is a word you
won't find in most dictionaries. It means more than merely taking initiative. It means that as
human beings, we are responsible for our own lives. Our behavior is a function of our
decisions, not our conditions. We can subordinate feelings to values. We have the initiative and
the responsibility to make things happen.

As Eleanor Roosevelt observed, "No one can hurt you without your consent." In the words of
Gandhi, "+6

32" It is our willing permission, our consent to what happens to us, that hurts us far more than
what happens to us in the first place.