Seven Habits Thinking and Delusions...

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Seven Habits thinking requires grappling with an old and vexing problem: How do we see reality accurately when our minds are so often populated with delusions? For example, while Covey is, I would say, correct in stating that there are timeless moral principles that hold pretty well for all situations, there is no question that our minds frequently trick us in any given moment, draw us towards actions that could be ruinous, in short, delude us. The problem here, then, again is delusions.

Covey's system certainly emphasizes learning to build your own self-esteem, largely by keeping promises to yourself, acting with self-discipline, acting in accordance with the social network in which we live, and holding to ethical standards. Self-concept, however, is certainly an area where self-limiting delusions can play a large part for many or even most people, even when they already follow these principles. Nathaniel Branden points out, for example, that people often refuse to acknowledge their own good qualities to themselves, and cling to a view of themselves as somehow flawed which hardly "describes the territory" (to use Covey's phrase) at all!

Covey's notion of having Maps in the Head, and of ascertaining whether or not the maps "describe the territory" accurately, can be applied to the question of self-concept. Do we have delusions of ourselves as a pest, or as a bother, or as lacking competence, when these maps do not describe the reality of our personalities and habits in dealing with life and others at all? Certainly, as Covey's book stresses that problems should be approached "from the inside-out," that is, by looking at what is going on in ourselves to contribute to "outside" problems with others, then it is important to understand that this does not simply mean criticizing yourself -- on the contrary, frequently the issue is learning to be kinder yourself.

I cannot stress this enough: Changing from the inside out, and learning to identify the illusions that Covey describes as "How we see the world is really how we see ourselves," includes learning to do without the critical voices inside that diminish the reality that we are often much "better" people than out deluded feelings tell us we are. This is as important a task as any of the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
Stephen Covey's Seven (7) Habits of Highly Effective People system requires organizing and planning in detail, and in an ongoing way. Maybe something found by clicking on this line of text might help you with this...
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