Call now for personal happiness

Let's talk about Stephen Covey.

He wrote the book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and, since then, has leveraged his success to build the mother of all self-help empires. He's like the Ron Popeil or the Jake Steinfeld of personal discipline.

In fact, this brings me to an interesting point: as I sat watching him (via snippets of DVD video) last week, I couldn't help but feel like I was watching an infomercial.

Infomercials have always fascinated me. The good ones combine a compelling story line with engaging product demonstrations, and at the center is a gifted salesperson who possesses a combination of enthusiasm, technical expertise, and charm. (My favorite part is when they say, 'Now, let's take a look at the science behind this exciting new product!')

During day one's afternoon session of the Seven Habits class, I found that I was having the same reaction towards Covey as I do when I watch Chef Tony: I was smiling and entertained, but I knew that I would never buy the product.

Even if I do call now to get the free steak knives.

Covey's shortcoming--at least for me--is that his Seven Habits are intertwined with a monster commercial empire. In order to Effectively practice his habits, I'd need to start with a FranklinCovey planner. The price--how'd you guess?--$49.95.

Also, there's a creepy institutional component inherent in the Habits: we were taught that an important part of the Seven Habits is that we should tell them to friends and co-workers. Where else have I heard this? (If you promise to tell a friend, we'll send you a second Magic Bullet for free. Or: we're having a party at my church this weekend. Would you like to come?)

So, no: in the end, I did not buy into Covey's message or his method. There were some effective strategies, yes, but there are other ways to get great abs besides buying a Total Gym.


By the way, the Seven Habits are easily distilled down to three: strive to be a better person, play well with others, and don't procrastinate.

And call your mother once in a while. After all, she's the reason you knew all of this before you entered grade school.