Covey Habit 7: “Sharpen The Saw”
ANSWER
Sharpening the Saw entails preserving and improving your most valuable asset—you. It entails having a well-balanced self-renewal program in all four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual. Here are some activities to consider: Physical benefits include healthy eating, exercise, and rest. Making meaningful social and emotional connections with others Learning, reading, writing, and teaching are all mental activities. Spending time in nature, expanding one’s spiritual self through meditation, music, art, prayer, or service You create growth and change in your life by renewing yourself in the four areas. Sharpening the Saw keeps you in shape and practicing the other six habits. You increase your ability to produce and deal with the challenges surrounding you. Without it, the body becomes weak, the mind becomes mechanical, the emotions become raw, the spirit becomes insensitive, and the person becomes selfish. Isn’t that a bleak picture? It takes effort to feel good. Living a balanced life entails taking the necessary time to renew yourself. It is entirely up to you. Relaxation can help you rejuvenate. You can also completely exhaust yourself by overdoing everything. You can treat yourself both mentally and spiritually. Alternatively, you can go through life completely unaware of your well-being. You can feel a surge of vitality. You can either procrastinate and miss out on good health and exercise benefits, or you can do both. You can recharge your batteries and face the new day in peace and harmony. Alternatively, you can wake up in the morning drained of energy because your get-up-and-go has vanished. Remember that each day brings a new opportunity for renewal—a new chance to recharge yourself instead of hitting the wall. All that is required is desire, knowledge, and skill.
QUESTION