In Stephen R. Covey’s landmark best seller The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, his Habit #7 is entitled Take Time to Sharpen the Saw.
What does it mean to “sharpen the saw”?
This application comes from the wood cutting world. Lumberjacks know the importance of stopping every once in a while during their day to sharpen their saws. Saw blades, like most tools will lose their sharp edge and one will begin to work harder to accomplish the same measure of success. So, the wise wood-cutter knows the value in taking time out in their day to sharpen their saw.
Should we do any less? In all of life, whether in sales, management, bookkeeping, ministering, or picking cotton, we sometimes need to take a break, re-tool, and put a fresh edge on whatever it is we are attempting to do.
For some people it means simply taking a break from the day’s labors. For others it is literally re-tooling, or sharpening their blades.
For me, it is reading a great book in my areas of interest, or listening to audio recordings of current books that interest me. I gain some incredible insights when listening to the wisdom of inspiring speakers and writers such as Earl Nightingale, Denis Waitley, Zig Ziglar, and a great host of others.
Recently I discovered Getting Naked by Patrick Lencioni. I just finished reading Mindset by Carol S. Dweck, and now I’m listening to the audio recording of this book. What a marvelous wealth of material. You really should read it if you deal with people on any level.
You see, by exposing myself to these individuals and their thoughts I sharpen my saw – I see things in a new light, or see new things altogether. I want to be a fresh thinker, a fresh and insightful writer and speaker. I want to be good with people and understand better how to relate to all types of people. That is why I spend my drive time each morning and evening listening to what these successful people have to say.
So, sometime today, stop and sharpen your saw. Dip into some wise persons words and see what they have to say to you that will stretch you and enlarge your life.
Keep a sharp edge!
What does it mean to “sharpen the saw”?
This application comes from the wood cutting world. Lumberjacks know the importance of stopping every once in a while during their day to sharpen their saws. Saw blades, like most tools will lose their sharp edge and one will begin to work harder to accomplish the same measure of success. So, the wise wood-cutter knows the value in taking time out in their day to sharpen their saw.
Should we do any less? In all of life, whether in sales, management, bookkeeping, ministering, or picking cotton, we sometimes need to take a break, re-tool, and put a fresh edge on whatever it is we are attempting to do.
For some people it means simply taking a break from the day’s labors. For others it is literally re-tooling, or sharpening their blades.
For me, it is reading a great book in my areas of interest, or listening to audio recordings of current books that interest me. I gain some incredible insights when listening to the wisdom of inspiring speakers and writers such as Earl Nightingale, Denis Waitley, Zig Ziglar, and a great host of others.
Recently I discovered Getting Naked by Patrick Lencioni. I just finished reading Mindset by Carol S. Dweck, and now I’m listening to the audio recording of this book. What a marvelous wealth of material. You really should read it if you deal with people on any level.
You see, by exposing myself to these individuals and their thoughts I sharpen my saw – I see things in a new light, or see new things altogether. I want to be a fresh thinker, a fresh and insightful writer and speaker. I want to be good with people and understand better how to relate to all types of people. That is why I spend my drive time each morning and evening listening to what these successful people have to say.
So, sometime today, stop and sharpen your saw. Dip into some wise persons words and see what they have to say to you that will stretch you and enlarge your life.
Keep a sharp edge!
No comments:
Post a Comment