Nothing can negatively affect your feelings unless you allow it.

I read this book so you don’t have to you can get the glimpse of what this book is about and my key takeaways that I gained from it.

1. Be proactive

Focus on the things you can change. Proactive people take responsibility of and control over their fate. They actively choose on how they respond to what’s happening around them. Nothing can negatively affect your feelings unless you allow it. Instead of saying, “That person is driving me crazy! I can’t stand them” try saying, “Okay, what can I do to deal with them? Can I do something so this doesn’t happen again?”

2. Start from the end

Let’s put it like this, you want to go somewhere. When you open google maps, you don’t start from where you are right now, right? You type the destination first, then you look at the directions. The alternative roads, possible road closure, so and so. Same things with life aspirations and goals. Don’t just say “I want to be a good artist.” Instead, identify what needs to be done, figure out the actionable items that you can do to get you closer to your goal, “I will be a good artist. I will learn color theory, tonal value, perspective drawing by the end of this month, then so on… so on.”

3. Put first things first

If it’s important and urgent, do it ASAP. If it’s not urgent but important, schedule it. If it’s not important but urgent, delegate or ask someone to do it for you. If it’s not urgent and not important, why the hell are you doing it? The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule but to schedule your priorities.

4. Think Win Win

1 - 1 is not always = 0 “Think win-win” is a way of thinking that says there is no need for winners and losers. Everyone can win if they work together and find a solution that benefits everyone involved. Others don’t need to fail in order for you to win. In most cases, you’ll end up both losing because you’re too focused to make the other fail and they fail because of you.

5. Understand others first, before wanting to be understood.

To communicate effectively, you must listen actively. The key is to understand the people around you so they will understand you too. This will create a caring and problem-solving environtment.

6. Synergize

Synergy means that two heads are better than one. It represents teamwork, open-mindedness, and creativity. Synergy leads to join discoveries which would be much harder to accomplish individually. Each individual gains new and deeper insights through the interaction with others.

7. Sharpen the Saw

Abraham Lincoln said “Give me 6 hours to cut down a tree, and i’ll spend the first 4 hours sharpening the saw.” Your saw is your body, mind, and soul. If it’s being properly taken care of, you can tackle anything in life.

It’s all about finding the balance. You can do anything if these 4 (body, mind, heart, soul) needs are met.