Everybody Wins: Habit #4 of Highly Effective Teens
As college acceptance letters begin rolling in, I felt it timely to discuss Steven Covey’s Habit #4 of Highly Effective Teens: Think Win-Win.
Covey urges us to view life as a lesson in cooperation, not competition. He writes:
Most of us learn to base our self-worth on comparisons and competition. We think about succeeding in terms of someone else failing–that is, if I win, you lose; or if you win, I lose. Life becomes a zero-sum game. There is only so much pie to go around, and if you get a big piece, there is less for me; it’s not fair, and I’m going to make sure you don’t get anymore. We all play the game, but how much fun is it really?
Especially for the seniors who are perhaps watching their friends get into top tier universities, I ask you to think win-win. Yes, we can ALL win. Celebrate each other’s successes, and be sympathetic towards failures. You will find that it makes like a heck of a lot easier when you can openly support your peers and confidently dismiss yourself from the rat race.
