The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens

Introduction-Part 1

Reading Check

1. 1998 (Introduction)

2. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Chapter 1)

3. Self-mastery (Chapter 1)

4. How to relate to others (Chapter 1)

5. Self-renewal (Chapter 1)

6. The power of habit (Chapter 1)

7. Glasses (Chapter 2)

8. 1. Paradigms of Self, 2. Paradigms of Others, 3. Paradigms of Life (Chapter 2)

Short Answer

1. They are stressed about school and their parents. They are also stressed about how they compare to their peers, as well as the pressures of dating and sex. (Chapter 1)

2. The seven habits of highly “defective” teens are: 1. React, 2. Begin with No End in Mind, 3. Put First Things Last, 4. Think Win-Lose, 5. Seek First to Talk, Then Pretend to Listen, 6. Don’t Cooperate, 7. Wear Yourself Out. (Chapter 1)

Part 2

Reading Check

1. Ourselves (Chapter 3)

2. Control our responses to those circumstances (Chapter 4)

3. Reactive (Chapter 4)

4. Helen Keller (Chapter 4)

5. Visualization (Chapter 5)

6. Friends, sex, and school (Chapter 5)

7. As the opposite of “willpower,” it is the strength to say no to less important things in your life. (Chapter 6)

Short Answer

1. Covey says that how you feel about yourself is like a personal bank account, and that you can make deposits or withdrawals, just like a personal checking or savings account. Deposits are actions that build your reserve of self-esteem, like keeping promises to yourself, doing small acts of kindness, and being gentle with yourself. “Withdrawals” are actions that diminish your self-worth, such as breaking promises to yourself, acting cruelly, and treating yourself harshly. (Chapter 3)

2. The young man decided to “push pause” by not acting reactively to the news of his brother’s death. Instead, he used the four tools of self-awareness, conscience, imagination, and willpower, which allowed him to walk away from a situation that would have destroyed his life. Instead, he chose to focus on pursuing college and football, both of which were lifelong dreams for him. (Chapter 4)

3. Habit 1 means taking responsibility for your life. In Covey’s metaphor, Habit 1 involves realizing that you are the driver, not a passenger, when it comes to your life. Habit 2 emphasizes that you must have a clear destination at the end of your journey, whenever you are driving. Habit 3 is about making sure that roadblocks on your path do not prevent you from reaching your destination. (Chapter 6)

Part 3

Reading Check

1. Relationship Bank Account (Chapter 7)

2. Trust (Chapter 7)

3. A win-lose mentality (Chapter 8)

4. A doormat (Chapter 8)

5. Spacing out, pretending to listen, selective and word listening (Chapter 9)

6. The power of teamwork (Chapter 10)

7. Celebrators (Chapter 10)

Short Answer

1. “Depositing” into your RBA means doing things that strengthen your relationships with others. The six ways to create “deposits” for your RBA are to (1) keep promises, (2) do small acts of kindness, (3), be loyal, (4) listen, (5) say you’re sorry, and (6) set clear expectations. (Chapter 7)

2. A “lose-lose” paradigm is when winning involves destruction and/or loss. That is, for someone to win, both sides must suffer significant losses. Covey uses war as a good example of the “lose-lose” paradigm, where one side might ultimately prevail, but both sides must pay a heavy cost to get there. (Chapter 8)

3. “Mirroring” is the practice of repeating back, in your own words, what the other person has just said. It is not mindless parroting; this is allowing others’ ideas and feelings to take stage, rather than insisting on our own. It is a tool that better helps us absorb others’ ideas. (Chapter 9)

Part 4

Reading Check

1. Through nutrition and exercise (Chapter 11)

2. How it feels

3. Refusal Skill (Chapter 11)

4. Reading (Chapter 11)

5. Seek professional help from a doctor or therapist (Chapter 11)

6. Social media (Chapter 11)

Short Answer

1. He recommends focusing on your personal bank account and your relationship bank account. That will aim to steady the person and prevent them from being blown off course by a swell of erratic emotions. (Chapter 11)

2. He recommends that you find what inspires you, whether that be God, meditation, helping others, writing, reading, walking, music, art, talking to others, and/or personal reflection. He also recommends unplugging from technology and social media, and spending time in nature. (Chapter 11)