How to Define Success via Steven Covey
On hearing of the death of Steven Covey, there’s been a renewed interest in his book,The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Like most of you, I read this book several years ago – even before I started a business. The first time I read it I thought I knew it all. Saying to myself, “This stuff is a no-brainer” I poo-poohed the book and went about my merry way. Years later, after three years in my first business, I picked it up again on my coach’s urging. I found a deeper understanding of the habits and decided to embrace them in the work I was doing in the world. T
Over time the focus on the 7 habits took a bit of a back seat as I moved on in my life and my business. Now I’m rereading them and gaining new insight.
I’ve noticed how the habits are reflected in the hands and vice versa.
I’m noticing how much profundity is in the simplest places – much like the fundamentals of being spiritual – complexity isn’t required. In fact, the pursuit of simplicity is the most satisfying way to your desired outcome.
Here’s a brief synopsis of the first 4 Habits and where they can reside in the hands: (tune in next time for the final 3 Habits!)
1) Be Proactive. Take initiative and don’t wait for someone else’s permission to make your success happen. First, this requires that you define success on your own terms and dig deep enough to know WHY you think something is an indicator of success in your life. In your hands the ease with which you take action is often seen in your thumbs and your Saturn line. Many old time palmists called the Saturn line, the “fate” line. You can see some connection there, right?
2) Begin with the End in Mind. The old saying goes, “if you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll sure enough wind up there.” Your WHY is imperative here. If you know why you’re aiming for that distant shore, you’re going to be focused on pulling together the tools and team to help you arrive. Your team has to share your vision and that’s so much easier when you have a rallying cry that vibrates with your WHY. This ability to share a vision and lead others to the goal is seen most definitively on and around your first (Jupiter) finger. You might recall that Jupiter is the counterpart of Zeus and is considered to be the “god of the gods.” While you might not aspire to that status, if you aspire to a goal, being able to know where you’re going, how you’ll arrive and what it takes to lead others to the shared vision is imperative.
3) Put First Things First. Common sense tells you that you won’t be performing in Carnegie Hall (or the Kennedy Center) without first learning to play an instrument and then committing to consistent practice. All the steps that go into preparing for your success should be clear to you as you set the vision and keep the end in mind. What happens though, is we want immediate gratification and try to skip some steps and/or find ourselves mixed up about which step to take first. This confusion and frustration can show up in a number of places in your hands, but a dead giveaway for me as your reader is when your fingertips are very strong and your lowest finger zones are weak and emaciated.
4) Think Win-Win. If you’ve been watching the Presidential campaigning and the hijinks in the US Congress lately – you’ll be hard pressed to see an example of anyone thinking win-win. Yet, once upon a time that was the key to success, not only as a nation, but as individuals. Luckily, most of us are subject to the level of scrutiny and gamesmanship rampant in the political arena. That means you and I can focus on our success with a win-win mindset. Instead of taking the stance that “if you get what you want, I lose” I can dig into a conversation with you and learn why you want you want, and how you can have the outcome you desire, while also allowing me the option to succeed as well. This ability to think and strategize like a diplomat is most obvious in the little (Mercury) finger. The ability to mediate, negotiate and create positive outcomes for all sides is apparent in what I call the “master” path of a Mercurian.
There are 3 more Habits that Steven Covey has left with us as his legacy. Next time we’ll take a look at the Ring finger, the Thumbs, the Pinky and the Heart line.
In the meantime, spend some time focusing on WHY you have the goals you have – what does success mean to you?
