Chapter 3 is the last piece of the puzzle on your way to achieving your own personal victory. The first habit shows us that we are in charge of our own destiny. It allows you to change your program that may have been implemented since childhood. The second habit begins the process of identifying what it is you want to be through your powers of visualization. This is the mental creation of the end you desire. Habits one and two are the prerequisite for chapter three, which will turn your mental creation into a physical force. It is the daily action you will need to take. With the foundation in place, you will be able to practice effective self-management through your principle-centered lifestyle.

The successful person has a tendency to do what other people would not do. Not that they necessarily like him, but his willpower will overcome doubts. The chapter gives you the opportunity to critically examine where you spend your time. There are 4 quadrants to choose from and your answers may surprise you. Is your day consumed with urgent matters? Is everything you do classified as important? Are you one of the many who are inundated on a daily basis by what is called “crisis management”?

You’ll gain an excellent understanding of what effective people do to manage their time. Habit 1 suggests that you are the programmer, Habit 2 sheds light on how to write the program, and Habit 3 is about running the program, or indeed “living the program.” Living the program is not something we do from time to time. If it’s in line with our principle-centered path, our program becomes the way we live our lives day in and day out. How we spend our time is absolutely paramount to our levels of success. The chapter approaches the beginning of “public wins” with a closer look at the P/PC balance and a concept that was completely new to me called “The Emotional Bank Account.”

The emotional bank account is a metaphor for something that describes the amount of trust that has been built up in a given relationship. Courtesy, kindness, and honesty are examples of deposits to a bank account, and rudeness, courtesy, and disrespect are withdrawals that can deplete your account. Without a positive emotional bank account that has established a trend of continued deposits, withdrawals will tend to have a compounding and negative effect.

This concept can be adapted to every relationship you have, be it personal or business, the power of a positive account will always increase your level of trustworthiness and integrity. Learn, understand and implement the content of these pages and you will not only change your life, but you will be truly ready for the public victories that are to come.