The 90/10 principle
Author : Stephen Covey ( Management Guru)
Have you read this before?
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 what happened. What happens when the next will be
determined by how you react.You curse. You harshly s'cold your
daughter for knocking the cup over.
She breaks down in tears. After s'colding 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 r