My Journey with the 7 Habits – Day 1 to 4

I recently had a fantastic professional development experience covering The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The sessions were taken by Aman and Arshi, who started us off with great ice-breaking activities, helping all of us teachers connect and get to know each other.

On the first two days, we tackled the foundational habits. For Habit 1: Be Proactive, I remember being divided into groups to perform a nukkad natak. We were so happy to share what we understood from the prompt, and I really did experience how being proactive is helpful in life. Day two dealt with Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind, and we faced the truth about death. Our facilitators handled this concerning topic with ease, making us realize that because we don’t think about it every day, our time here should be used for the right cause.

A few weeks later, we came back for Day 3 and 4. We learned about the art of listening and its different types. Through sharing and playing activities, we saw how selective listening happens every day and how we can learn to actively listen instead.

Then came Habit 3: Put First Things First. This was demonstrated perfectly with a video of stones in a bottle, showing that if you put your most important life goals in first, the other things will fall into place around them.

Habit 6: Synergize on Day 4 was introduced with a planning game. This game helped us learn how to strategize as a team, think in terms of Win-Win and listening to others during strategising. We became one, kept our egos aside, and worked for a greater cause, which helped us actually win the finals! It was a great activity and I enjoyed it a lot. This was followed by making new connections with other teachers so we can all share and learn from each other.

The last habit, Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw, was about taking time to renew yourself to avoid burnout. It felt like a symbol for the two days we spent together, not just working, but playing and understanding. It all made so much more sense after we ended the session by watching Chak De! India. Reflecting on the movie after learning the habits was the perfect way to end our 4-day journey.