Sharpen The Saw

In Stephen Covey's book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, habit 7 is “sharpen the saw.” 

Great. What the heck does that mean? 

To sharpen the saw, you must have a balanced program for self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual. 

The key word here is balance. Often, we are strong in a few of these, but at least one other needs work. 

Balancing these four areas of life can lead to growth and change. So, let’s review some ideas for staying “sharp” in these areas. 

Physical includes exercise, eating right, rest and stress management.  

For the mental aspect, Covey suggests engaging in lifelong learning, reading, writing, and acquiring new knowledge. 

Emotional and social are combined in the definition, but I’ve broken them down separately. 

Emotional sharpening can include meditation, keeping a gratitude journal, therapy, deep breathing, and practicing self-compassion. 

Social is all about cultivating healthy relationships. This could range from putting yourself out there to make new friends to simply having dinner with family.

Lastly, spirituality doesn’t have to mean religion (unless you want it to). It could be serving others, living your values, connecting with nature or reading an inspirational book. 

Think about the happy high performers you know and admire. The ones I am thinking of are great at balancing these areas. Notice that financial gain isn’t on the list. I believe that happiness will follow if you lead with passion, are in tune with your emotions, take care of your body, and continually learn.