For a Better Life, Close the Gaps! We all want to make a difference. But just as you need to put on your own oxygen mask before helping other passengers on an airplane, getting your own life together is the first step to making a positive impact in the world. Franklin Covey cofounder Hyrum Smith shows that what stops us are gaps between where we are and where we want to be. The first is the Beliefs Gap, between what we believe to be true and what is actually true. The second is the Values Gap, between what we value most in life and what we actually spend our life doing. The third is the Time Gap, between what we plan to do each day and what we actually get done. Smith offers a practical blueprint that we all can use to recognize and close each of these three gaps and illustrates how it can be done through inspiring true stories. The 3 Gaps provides the concepts and the tools needed to establish a solid foundation from which you can help make the world a better place. “If you want to quickly and effortlessly close the gaps from where you are to where you want to be, read this book and apply it now!” —Mark Victor Hansen, cocreator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, whose books have sold 500 million copies “Rarely are such profound principles taught with such simplicity and accessibility. Every work group should read and apply this message.” —Catherine Hormats, entrepreneur and cofounder of Social Security Advisors “To successfully manage a team, employees, or a family, we all must first manage ourselves. That is the great lesson of The 3 Gaps ; and the great gift is that Mr. Smith so clearly tells us how .” —Michelle Baron, award-winning producer/writer of worldwide family entertainment  “ The 3 Gaps is a simple yet profound book that will enable you to live a better, more fulfilling life and have a positive impact on everyone around you.” —Stephen M. R. Covey, New York Times bestselling author of The Speed of Trust and coauthor of Smart Trust Hyrum W. Smith is the cofounder and former Chairman and CEO of Franklin Covey and the cofounder of 3Gaps, a personal and organizational training company. He is also the author of several nationally acclaimed books, including The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management, What Matters Most, and You Are What You Believe. CHAPTER 1 The Beliefs Gap Closing the Beliefs Gap The Power of the Belief Window Because beliefs are such a powerful determining factor in our lives, the first gap I want to discuss is the gap between what you believe to be true and what is actually true: your Beliefs Gap. There was a time when the vast majority of the people on this earth believed that the sun revolved around the earth. When Copernicus suggested and Galileo insisted that it was the other way around, people considered them heretics. The fact that they were right was irrelevant; and, at the time, believing the wrong thing about the sun’s relationship to the earth had no serious consequences (other than personal ostracism). Had we not corrected that erroneous belief we certainly would never have had the power to achieve the tremendous scientific advances spurred on by the space program. The correct belief allowed us to make a difference. Consider the following story. John walks into the yard of a friend, and is surprised to see a Doberman pinscher that has never been there before. At first he freezes in terror; then he runs out of the yard as fast as his legs can carry him without pausing to wonder how the dog got there or to notice if it is on a chain. Later, Susan walks into the same yard. She is just as surprised as John to be greeted by a Doberman. Her reaction, however, is to squeal with delight, “Oh! How cute!” She runs toward the dog so she can pet it and scratch it behind its ears. Why such different reactions to the same dog? It’s all about what I call the Belief Window. Everyone has a Belief Window. I like to picture it as a small, clear window hanging in front of your face. I imagine it hooked in place so that every time you move, the Belief Window moves with you: you look out into the world through that window and you draw in information from the world through the same window. On this Belief Window you have placed thousands of beliefs or principles that you assume to be correct. They have accumulated over your entire life and they are not all equal in value. Some are good, some aren’t. Some are rational, some are irrational. Some are productive and some are counterproductive. The number of beliefs on your Belief Window tends to be a function of your age and experience. We put beliefs on our windows because we believe that they are true and that by following them we will meet our needs over time. John has a belief on his Belief Window that says that all Doberman pinschers are vicious; he has accepted that as a correct principle. So when he is confronted by a Doberman pinscher, his behavior is to run,