The book I decided to read for this assignment was "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", by Stephen R. Covey. Initially, the reason I chose this book was because my boyfriend had started reading it and I had noticed a drastic change in his vocabulary, which was starting to irritate me. He was explaining every word and action in terms of choices; I choose to do this or feel that. And, because I didn't understand where he was coming from, I got angry and asked him to stop with the list of personal choices. But now that I've read this book, I'm really impressed with how Covey guides his readers toward better communication and better relationships. In the first chapter of this book, Covey works to explain the concepts that form the foundation of his teachings. We learn that the ethic of character (what we are) is much more important than the ethic of personality (what we say or do), but that for the last 50 years or so we have relied on the short-term benefits of personality. Ethics to help us in our relationships. Unfortunately, personality-based relationships without character are like houses built on toothpick foundations. This concept made a lot of sense to me as I grew up in Southern California where image was everything and no one seemed to have an ounce of integrity. If a manager is busy pleasing his superiors and pacifying his employees, he is wasting his time on shows and will never achieve solid, lasting relationships. It's like living paycheck to paycheck; there are no relational benefits accrued after each interaction. Covey also discusses the importance of moving from a world of dependency ("you") to one... middle of paper... apply the lessons of this book (P). We need to take a break, take a step back and refine the tools we have been given. Because Covey places such a strong emphasis on long-term solutions rather than quick fixes, this is the habit that will help us remember that we are making changes throughout our lives. When I first heard about this book from my boyfriend, I wasn't interested in anything except making jokes about the title. But now that I've learned about the seven habits, I find myself relating to the world in new ways. This book opened my eyes to responsibility and maturity and I may even go back and retrace the process. I really didn't think I would like this book, but now I find myself wanting to recommend it to other people. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised and should probably apologize to my boyfriend for all the jokes.