summary ofFirst Things FirstBook by Stephen R. Covey, A. Roger Merrill, Rebecca R. Merrill

first KEY POINT

Knowing where to seek happiness

Many meaningful relationships suffer unfortunate defeats on the path to success. We still feel empty and disoriented after or during our race to the top. We start looking for meaning in what we do. If we don’t find it, we continue to live imbalanced lives because we are too scared to try alternatives.

Wake-up calls awaken us abruptly to the existence of the gap between our fantasies and the reality of life. For instance, when a family member dies, we regret the missed moments while chasing success. We feel miserable thinking about the opportunities we’ll never get back and the time we could spend building meaningful relationships. Then, we realize there is no match between what we are doing and what matters to us. In the absence of wake-up calls, most people bury crucial life issues. They don’t bother to look for the chronic cause; they use Aspirin and Band-Aids to subdue the acute pain. Once they get temporary relief, they return to their habit of doing things that don’t matter to them.However, by managing our time and prioritizing the essential things in our lives, we can make it easier to do things that will help us in the long run. In this summary, you will learn more about prioritizing the more important things over those that seem important but aren’t in reality. As a result, you’ll live a healthier, happier, and more fulfilling life and enhance your relationships tenfold. So strap in and prepare for a deep dive into the complexities and particularities of planning, productivity, and motivation!