Being yourself in this current world environment can be overwhelming. Who we were, and how we related to the world has changed, and finding a way to be our best selves while observing social distancing, getting assignments completed, and attending Zoom meetings, challenges us to not only be efficient but effective.

Being efficient means "working in a well-organized and competent way to produce a result or achieve a goal, without wasting time, effort, or energy"; while being effective means "producing a result or achieving a goal, even if it requires some unnecessary resources" (Oxford Dictionary). Simply put, "effective emphasizes actual ability to produce a desired outcome, i.e. doing the right thing, while efficient focuses on the lack of waste in producing that outcome" (Source: http://www.learnersdictionary.com/qa/How-to-Use-Effective-and-Efficient).

Several years ago I was introduced to Steven Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Since then, books for teens (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens), and kids (The 7 Habits of Highly Happy Kids) have been published. Both books, as well as audio versions, can be purchased online from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=7+habits+books&ref=nb_sb_noss_1 ); and are also available at the Sandusky Library (https://search.clevnet.org/client/en_US/sa-main/search/results?qu=7+habits&te=).