The last of the 7 Habits involves the act of "sharpening the saw." Thisisn't the "last habit" as Stephen Covey has a whole book on what hecalls "The 8th Habit," but in the context of the original 7, this isthe last one.
You can't be too busy "sawing" to sharpen yoursaw. Eventually, your saw will become dull and ineffective. The samething goes for us. We need to sharpen our saws to maintain oureffectiveness as people. What are our blades? There are four:
Physical:Taking case of yourself physically. This means making sure you areeating the right food, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, andthe like. This has historically been an area where I have not takengood care of--thus the reason I am overweight. I have committed myselfto maintaining the exercise program I have restarted and I am alsoworking on changing my diet--again--in a quest to gain and maintain ahealthy body.
Social/Emotional: Taking care of your connectionswith people. Part of that is "making connections" with people, which isone reason I participate in Kitsap Penninsula Linux Users Group as well as West Sound Tecnology Professionals Association--toget some face time with people. Maintaining connections is something Ineed to work on. I am really bad at calling my close friends or myrelatives on a regular basis.
Mental: Learning, reading,writing, and teaching. I spend a lot of time doing these things. Mostof the reading I do is online, and I use my blog as a method ofteaching, not to mention the "teaching" I do in my day job. This is ablade that is always getting sharpened.
Spiritual: Whatever youdo to get in touch with your "inner spirit," whatever that is for you.Examples include lusinging to music, medidating, praying, or serving.This is an area I have been neglecting. I have been trying to work onmeditation, but I usually do it at the wrong time of the day--sometimeafter the kids in bed, and meditating turns into a cat nap.
Speaking of cat naps, I think I am going to go take a slightly longer catnap--it's bedtime. :)
tags: 7 habits, self improvement