Customer Reviews

The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective Teens

5 star:		(103)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

I've noticed that most of the reviews for this book give it either 1 star or 5 stars, but very few people seem to have mixed feelings about this book like I do. First of all, I think that "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens" is both very powerful and well-written. It contains some very helpful advice that will come in handy some time or another in your life. However, some of the advice, such as the Relationship Bank Account, is easier said than done. I felt that many of Sean Covey's suggestions were facile in the sense that they were not things that I would do in real life. Covey seems to think that in order to have a good relationship with someone, you need to always be fishing for a compliment or nice thing to say. But in real life, "effective" people have a positive attitude, but aren't necessarily always dishing out compliments. People who over-compliment aren't always liked by everyone! Another thing about this book is that it should not be read in one sitting. I would say that it is best read about 5 minutes at a time... read one section, then put it down for the day and focus on implimenting that one section in your daily life. When you read several sections at a time, you tend to forget what you read at the beginning and you would definately have a hard time putting the first few habits to work in your life. Take the time to fill out all of the activities such as the "Baby Steps" sections in order to really help you put the book into practice. Lastly, I want to say that since reading this book, my life hasn't changed all that much. I'm not more effective... I'm not liked more or liked less. One thing that I found when I read the book was that I was already trying to do many of the things mentioned! I've tried putting some of the other habits into practice, but I fail to see how they are improving the quality of my life. If you're happy with your life as it is, I would pass on this book... the content person does not need self-help. But if you're not happy with your life or if you want to become a more positive person, you'll probably find this book very helpful. One last note... older teens would probably get more out of the "adult" version, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", since Covey uses language that is overly simple and trite at times, but the principles of both books are exactly the same.

Well, let me tell you where I am coming from before I start the actual review. I am 16 years old and I have two good hardworking parents that are always pushing me to be more "active" and join school sports and stuff like that. Well, not only do I hate playing sports, but I don't really relate to many of my peers so when my parents force me to play some sport or join some club I really hate it on more than one level. I don't merely hate being the worst on the team, I hate having to sit there and socialize with my peers also.

The organizational part of the book didn't do me a ton of good, basically because I am pretty well organized and I turn in all of my school work ext. Basically the reason I got this book was to read about the "comfort zone" and things of that sort, so possibly I could be motivated to like some of the activities my parents have forced me in to.

Some of the stuff I read in here is inspirational, and it helps me survive those practices/meetings that I really don't want to be at at all. This book never did actually make me LIKE these parental-forced ordeals, but again, the book helps me survive.

Downfalls? Well, there is alot of teen language in this book which is okay for the normal teen, but for me personally it gets on my nerves after awhile. Also, it is very difficult to read this book from cover to cover, but I cannot say for sure it is one of those books designed to be read that way. The book was only partially beneficial to me because of my extreme circumstances, but maybe if you like your peers a little more than I do, you'll get more out of it. "7 Habits" helped me out to an extent, and I am grateful for owning a copy of it

One star is FAR too much. This book is awful. I could not even get through it. It's suppossed to be helpful, but it actually lowered my self-esteem. Covey trys too hard to do this right, and he puts in all the wrong things. Why tell us what we're doing wrong? That's how you lower someone's self-image. Why tell us not to react? If you don't react in some way to everything, then you're not really alive. Overall, it's just terrible and pointless. My mom got this for me for my birthday. She wasted her money, and I wasted my time.

I think the original Seven Habits is not only more complete, profound, and instructional, but the reading level or style of it shouldn't really deter teenagers of average intelligence. The original Seven Habits is simple without being simplistic. Younger teenagers probably don't need to be reading books like these yet. Once they are grown up and have some sense of themselves and what their weaknesses and strengths are then they might have use for a book like this.

The 7 habits of highly effective teens is a book written by Sean covey, who is the son of Stephen Covey, author of the 7 habits of highly effective people. The 7 habits are designed to help teens who are growing up.

Being Proactive

This means that you make choices based on value. You think before you do something. You know you can't control everything, but you can control the things you do. You should not be reactive, who go off like time grenades.

Beginning with the end in mind

This means that if you plan something and you have a goal, you need to keep on going and going until you reach your goal. A perfect example is The Wizard of Oz. The little girl keeps on going until she finally reaches the good witch Glenda and she comes back to her native Kansas.

Putting first things first

This means that you need to put the most important things first and do them first, but you don't need to rush. In the book there are 4 quadrants: The procrastinator, the Yes-man, the slacker and the prioritizer. Only one is good and that is the prioritizer. The prioritizer puts first things first, and is not urgent.

Thinking WIN- WIN

This is when you think that everybody is equal and nobody is either superior or inferior. WIN-WIN means that everybody can have success.

Seeking first to understand then to be understood

This means that you need to hear what the other person is saying and then would say your reply to whatever he/she is talking about. If you didn't do that, then you then you would cut his/her sentence and think you know what the problem is , but in reality it isn't the problem he/she was thinking about; you just blurt the answer out and he/she doesn't know what to do.

Synergy

Synergy means teamwork. Synergy is everywhere in nature. If you've seen an oxpecker picking bugs off a rhino, you have seen synergy. The oxpecker gets a feast and the rhino gets a pseudo-massage. In synergy, people have strengths and weaknesses, but they all work together to make a strong team. In the book it says there were 6 types of synergizers: plodders, show-offs, harmonizers, creators and followers.

Sharpening the saw

This means that you just need to, well, relax. It means that you need to ¡§sharpen¡' your old self. The book suggests 4 things to sharpen: body, heart, brain and soul. In your body you exercise, eat healthy, sleep and relax. In your heart you build relationships, give service and (hee-hee) laugh. In your brain you read, write, educate and learn new things. In your soul, you meditate, keep a journal and take quality media.

Conclusion

Overall, I think the book is very helpful to teens that are just growing up and it is very interesting because it is loaded with cartoons and stories from people all around the world. Out of a 10, I give it a 9.5.

Sean Covey is a great role model for teens! He uses the principles from his father's best-selling book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, to show teens how they too, can use them. The Covey model encourages solid character formation, and provides essential strategies for success in all areas of life. You start by mastering yourself and then you learn how to interact correctly with other people. The book is logical and the cartoons add fun.

I must also recommend "Optimal Thinking: How to Be Your Best Self" endorsed by Dr. Steven Covey. The author of Optimal Thinking, a former teacher, interacted with teens in the classroom for a decade and truly understands them. Optimal Thinking shows all of us how to bring our best self to every situation, deal most effectively with our feelings, bring out the best from others, and make the most of every situation. Optimal Thinking should be taught in every school, and these books should be in every home.

I was a rebellious teenager, and was positive I knew everything. I did not want to be told what to do, what to read, where to go, or what time to come home.

Anyone who wants to get somewhere in life learns from the wisdom of others, as well as our own painful mistakes.

Take whatever good you can find out of this book and use it to feel better about yourself, and make your future brighter.

If something doesn't apply, just forget about it. If you find just ONE thing that will make a positive difference in your life, then it is worth it.

I bought this book last year.What attracted me was not just the content,but the fun and interesting English language teenagers will find reading enjoyable (Note: it's not the type of super English with bombastic words and terms that'll probably send you poring through the dictionary).There are also interesting and cute little quotations that get you start laughing and giggling.

But what is really great about this book is that it is hardly a book.It's so well-written,it's like a essential manual for all teenagers to possess! There are true-account experiences as well as well as well as accounts of scenarios which you may find familiar...like struggling to do well in an exam,coping with relationships problems and stuff.

Frankly speaking,Sean Covey did make a point.I was quick to point out that i'm a procastinator (something i learnt over here),and is now able to control my emotions and get the better of myself.Though this book is like the one of the many thousands "self-improvement" source i've read,i think it is one over at my top ten list.Pointers,comics strips,useful hotlines,true accounts...and a really cool author,what more can you expect?

Need help? This is the book for you!

If I could give this book a -47 stars I would. I had to read this for a class at school and it was pulled out for four months, and we "analyzed" each annoying habit and "looked into ourselves." I must say, I am not a better person from reading this book, all this book made me think was how much I would love to ram a pencil in my eye. While reading all I could think of was "No duh- I know this." How people don't seem to see the remedial redundancy of this horrid excuse of a self help book is beyond me. A waste of time, money, and brain cells.

First of all this book doesn't even deserve one star. Anyhoo, my sophomore year in high school we read the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens and studied it and analyzed and used it's concepts throughout the entire year. Maybe it's just the way I was taught the book, but I will NEVER look at a 7 Habits book ever again. Most of the 7 habits were unrealistic for people and was written to Sean Covey who appears to have no concept of the 'real world'. The 7 Habits to me is a cult gone seriously wrong. I suppose I could be like everyone else and lie about how much it has changed my life and how I'm so thankful that I read it, but it hasn't changed my life in any way and I hated reading that book so much. Ugh!