Online Bookstore: Fireside First Things First: To Live, to Love, to Learn, to Leave a Legacy Book

Average Rating:

And I can't believe I just wrote a positive review of a self-help book. Trust me on how helpful this book can be.

I found section two very helpful from a technical standpoint but the most interesting part of the book is chapter 3, "To Live, to Love, to Learn, to Leave a Legacy". It is here that Covey and company give us their conception of human nature and the good life. To live refers to our physical needs which are for health and wealth; to love refers to our social needs which are to be in healthy relationships; to learn refers to our mental needs to learn, develop our capacities and grow; and to leave a legacy refers to our need to be a part of something bigger than ourselves and to make a contribution. In my opinion, this is a pretty good outline of the basic categories of human need. They then list the four human endowments (self awareness, conscience, independent will, creative imagination) which we need to use in order to satisfy our needs.

But I do have some reservations about this book. First, there is just not enough material here for the approximately 350 pages they spend. I only read about 225 pages, skipping around, because I didn't feel like anything new or interesting was being said. Second, I agree with the review of Peter Hupalo about all the copyrighted drawings....

I am glad I read this book because it is a useful meditation on what it means to put first things first, what those first things are and how to implement this. But I couldn't read the whole thing and all the copyrights and "generation four" talk is annoying. I do recommend this book.

---- Greg Feirman gfire77@yahoo.com

WHILE COPIES OF COVEY'S _SEVEN HABITS_ were still conspicuous business accessories on public transportation and at latte shops, the people who were changing the world had moved on to the book that cracked the shell on the third habit: putting first things first.

Everyone who has heard the phrase "time management" could suggest prioritizing. Covey, Merrill and Merrill dare to entertain, "How do you do that? How do you know what's first when your plans are buffeted by circumstances, business and people you love-whom you've already put 'first?'"

Excellence is not required by their success formula. You are guided in choosing how driven you want to be by your priorities, and you'll know what (or who) is suffering when you decide to read junk mail.

If your reluctance in addressing time management stems from (1) not wanting to lose yourself and your life in order to finish your list, or (2) no one can help you because you choose to wear more hats than the people who usually offer advice will allow, then _First Things First_ is the FIRST, and possibly only, book you need to read.