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Industry : Life Style Functional Area : Self Management
Activity:  37 comments  1838 views  last activity : 07 06 2010 20:18:04 +0000
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A must read article by author Stephen Covey. 

Discover the 90/10 Principle.

 It will change your life (at least the way you react to situations). What is this principle? 10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react. What does this mean? We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us. We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic. We have no control over this 10%. The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%. How? ……….By your reaction. You cannot control a red light. but you can control your reaction. Don't let people fool you; YOU can control how you react. Let's use an example. You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just happened. What happens next will be determined by how you react. You curse. You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over. She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus. Your spouse must leave immediately for work. You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit.

 After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60 traffic fine away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase. Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse. You look forward to coming home. When you arrive home, you find small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter. Why? …. Because of how you reacted in the morning. Why did you have a bad day? A) Did the coffee cause it? B) Did your daughter cause it? C) Did the policeman cause it? D) Did you cause it? The answer is “D". You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day. Here is what could have and should have happened. Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say, "Its ok honey, you just need to be more careful next time". Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs. After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on how good the day you are having. Notice the difference? Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended different. Why? Because of how you REACTED. You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90% was determined by your reaction. Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 principle. If someone says something negative about you, don't be a sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass. You don't have to let the negative comment affect you! React properly and it will not ruin your day. A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, getting stressed out etc.

 How do you react if someone cuts you off in traffic? Do you lose your temper? Pound on the steering wheel? A friend of mine had the steering wheel fall off) Do you curse? Does your blood pressure skyrocket? Do you try and bump them? WHO CARES if you arrive ten seconds later at work? Why let the cars ruin your drive? Remember the 90/10 principle, and do not worry about it. You are told you lost your job. Why lose sleep and get irritated? It will work out. Use your worrying energy and time into finding another job. The plane is late; it is going to mangle your schedule for the day. Why take outpour frustration on the flight attendant? She has no control over what is going on. Use your time to study, get to know the other passenger. Why get stressed out? It will just make things worse. Now you know the 90-10 principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. You will lose nothing if you try it. The 90-10 principle is incredible. Very few know and apply this principle. The result? Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials, problems and heartache. We all must understand and apply the 90/10 principle. It CAN change your life!!! Enjoy….
 Top Comment : Jambu Iyer   | 06 30 2008 00:07:31 +0000
Absolutely enlightening stuff..... A MUST READ article........... Let me try this and report the outcome in the days to come.....
 
37 comments on "DISCOVER THE 90/10 PRINCIPLE"
  Commented by  amit jolly, MBA/PGDM student, icfai university    | 06 29 2009 13:04:52 +0000
Rating : +1 
its really a very good article. everybody should try to apply this in their lives. the way of present and the example is really appreciable. I Would really follow this in my life.
  Commented by  Rameez, Product/Brand Manager, CSS    | 06 21 2009 08:52:34 +0000
Rating : +1 
Its great the same i thnk ...u will be thnking i m making myself praise but thts true i thnk d same way d principle goes... if u dont have somethng in your control y to stretch that thng and make it long and waste ur time...if d same thng u hav control thn u can controlbut calmly n using your brain and not ur anger bcoz in anger ur brain usually dont works so...its grt to be calm which is very togh but u can ..
  Commented by  Devi Kaladeen, Audit Manager, Health Sector Development Unit    | 06 20 2009 19:20:27 +0000
Rating : +1 
Thanks for the referral Beena. Very inspiring and good article.
  Commented by  Makrand Bhave, Sales Promotion Manager, XYZ    | 06 20 2009 12:22:34 +0000
Rating : +1 
Yes indeed! It is always like that... I also agree with what Raghavan saya. Everybody somewhere or the other employs this principle. Thanks a lot for referring this article to me Beena, its brilliant!
Nice info. thanks for sharing
Rating : +1 
Awesome Article!!
Learned something From it....
Thanks for the referral Ms. Beena !! 
  Commented by  BEENA AGARWAL, Head/VP/GM-Corporate Planning/Strategy, ANADI HI TECH AGRO PVT LTD    | 06 20 2009 06:35:58 +0000
Rating : +1 
Its excellent and inspiring article containing 100% prctical truth.
Everyone who is lucky to read this article should apply in his/her own life.I am sure one day this whole world become a heaven itself.We all can face GOD in front of us.
Really nice article Bandi.Thanks for such nice practical thought.
  Commented by  Subrato Mukherjee, Branch Manager/Regional Manager, Amkette Analytics Ltd    | 03 06 2009 08:27:30 +0000
Rating : +1 
its a must read article, and we all know this facts but in reality somtimes we fails to act, and we repent.
Thanks for sharing this article.
  Commented by  Ashok Kumar V B, Chief Manager F&V , Spencers Retail India Ltd.    | 12 30 2008 06:28:54 +0000
Rating : +1 
Good Article,
Emotions and Intelligence both put together its emotional intelligence.
Calculation and Behavior--- Calculated Behaviour.
None of them are Made to Order it just happens and we post mortem it.
Its fine to learn and move forward.
  Commented by  varsha ., Technical manger(QMS)    | 12 29 2008 16:50:45 +0000
its really good article...
thanks
  Commented by  anshuman tyagi, Project Planning, HCC    | 12 28 2008 14:51:55 +0000
Rating : +1 
thanks for give this prionciple of life
  Commented by  Bellala Gopinatha Rao, Project Manager Promax Management Consultants    | 12 22 2008 11:50:31 +0000
Rating : +1 
Thanks 
I  also follow  the same principle.
  Commented by  Raju Ramalingam, Business Analyst, Rhytha Web Solutions    | 12 18 2008 15:48:31 +0000
Rating : +1 
Good one and we should know how to harness word of mouth at home & work.
  Commented by  Narpal Singh, Unit Manager, Shriram General Insurance Co. Ltd.    | 12 18 2008 08:21:43 +0000
Rating : +1 
Best One.
  Commented by  Vikas G. Chaudhari, Sr. Design Engineer Jacobs Engineering    | 11 23 2008 09:35:58 +0000
Rating : +1 
Good One !! Thank you !!
  Commented by  vasant srinivasan, Retail Head    | 11 23 2008 07:04:05 +0000
Rating : +1 
a great piece of article worth sharing >>> thanks!!
Rating : +2 
I propose, just cherish the principle on business & professional side also...

I think, the principle not only applicable on home and community side but it is equally applicable to business and professional side also. Your staff, counterparts and delegates may also create situations on the part of 10% that may exert huge loss of opportunity, goodwill as well as in profit. It is your excellence to hold the 90% of drawback in your hands via reaction/activity/management/decision at that juncture of time...

Please understand, it is the management and decision making we must hold perfectly to avoid the overdose of 90/10 principle in your life.....
  Commented by  Swathi Reddy, Deputy HR Manager, GMMCO Ltd-Hyderabad    | 11 22 2008 05:16:55 +0000
Rating : +1 
It really works. I follow this every time my son does something un knowingly. I also tell my husband that no body does such things deliberately. And now i'm happy with it. No screaming, no spoiling the mood.
  Commented by  Vinayarajan KV, Head/VP/GM-Sales Tech    | 10 29 2008 10:17:38 +0000
Rating : +1 
good one
  Commented by  Sree Vidhya Ramachandran, Team Leader, Solutions    | 10 04 2008 12:52:48 +0000
Rating : +1 
Good article to handle situvations better at all times
  Commented by  Bopanna, Head - SCM, Himatsingka Seide Limited    | 08 12 2008 00:29:35 +0000
Rating : +1 
Good one.. Will definately try and follow from this moment..
  Commented by  Srikanth Wadgeri, Sales Promotion Manager Robinsons AIr Services    | 08 11 2008 09:28:07 +0000
Rating : +1 
its really a eye opener
  Commented by  sridhar a, Business Analyst, Shriram value services    | 08 07 2008 21:38:29 +0000
Rating : +1 
good one
  Commented by  Sourav Chatterjee, IT Engineer- CMC Limited-ATata Enterprise    | 07 24 2008 22:35:21 +0000
Rating : +1 
good article 
Rating : +2 
That was a good article
  Commented by  Jaygopal Raghavan, Head/VP/GM-Client Servicing, Percept Holdings    | 07 01 2008 08:53:41 +0000
Rating : +5 
Absolutely brilliant stuff. But i want to pose a question to all of you here - how many of you succeeded in applying the 90-10 principle in life after shutting down your computer for the day. 

I hope you guys prove me wrong by at least a 60% affirmative vote. If not i am sure none of us were able to apply it.

At the risk of sounding negative, let me say that it is nice for Stephen covey to write such path breaking and illuminating article. Even if was paid a million dollar advance for a book, probably i could come out with such revealing truths. 

It is all about living life every moment and every day and not having pre-conceived notions in mind. I would react differently to the example given above. I would chide my daughter for spilling the coffee on me and at the same time urge to finish her breakfast so that she can catch the school bus on time. This because she should not repeat the mistake again.Then after she has left i would also chide my wife and reason with her not to keep things at such close distance with kids. And then give her a good bye kiss. This to not upset her and yet remind her not to do the same mistake.

Having said all this it is difficult to gauge a persons response, maybe my response might be bad or good depends on which side of the bed i woke up that morning. 
  Commented by  veguru vijayakumar babu, General Manager, Sujana Group Of Companies    | 07 01 2008 01:26:19 +0000
Rating : +2 
Fine article ....
  Commented by  sadasivuni ganesh, Marketing Manager, ZODIAC MARKETING CONSULTANCY    | 07 01 2008 00:44:35 +0000
Rating : +2 
Thanks for reffering good article.
  Commented by  sadasivuni ganesh, Marketing Manager, ZODIAC MARKETING CONSULTANCY    | 07 01 2008 00:43:20 +0000
Rating : +2 
Thanks for reffering good article.
Rating : +2 
Fantastic one which will help in making our life better.  Thanks for sharing this with all of us.
  Commented by  sudhir kumar sinha, Founder & CEO, Inovogen    | 06 30 2008 15:09:11 +0000
Rating : +2 
Nice Article !!:)
  Commented by  Ashok Datta, Project Manager Army    | 06 30 2008 09:40:10 +0000
Rating : +1 
Bandi very rightly brought out in this article..... Stimulus and response.
Stephen Covey in His book THE SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE he very rightly writes ........
Between Stimulus and response, man has the freedom to choose.
It is this very freedom of how to react to the stimulus dictates our relationships.

Very nice article. Thanks
  Commented by  ajay pandey, Head/VP/GM-Corporate Planning/Strategy, Simco Foundation    | 06 30 2008 09:24:40 +0000
Rating : +2 
Dear Bandi!
Hope u keep referring such +ve content.
People really react to situations as described.. feel bad later.
Regards
Ajay
  Commented by  hari shankar gupta, Partner/Principal/VP h.s.gupta & associates    | 06 30 2008 05:47:51 +0000
Rating : +2 
very good 
  Commented by  Anil Tadmari, Head/VP/GM-Corporate Planning/Strategy, MACCAFERRI    | 06 30 2008 02:33:05 +0000
Rating : +2 
Good article
  Commented by  sagi srinivasa rao, Sales/BD Manager Inteq software Pvt Ltd    | 06 30 2008 00:16:37 +0000
Rating : +3 
Real good one. thanks for the article
  Commented by  Jambu Iyer, International Property Consultant    | 06 30 2008 00:07:31 +0000
Rating : +4 
Absolutely enlightening stuff.....

A MUST READ article...........

Let me try this and report the outcome in the days to come..... 
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