Sharpening My Saw

This week, we learned about the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. The most meaningful of those habits to me is the seventh: "Sharpen the saw."

I am very guilty of using a blunt saw because I'm too busy or distracted to take care of it. I often feel myself burning out because I'm not taking the time to care for myself - physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Covey talks about sharpening our saw in four dimensions: physical exercise, spiritual, mental, and social/emotional.

I always feel rejuvenated and positive after taking even a short jog. Exercising in that way brings me a great deal of joy, and yet, it's one of the things I procrastinate against the most. That's strange. I also find joy in studying scriptures and attending church meetings and dedicating myself to my faith, but sometimes it feels difficult to make enough time for those things. I also struggle to make time and energy for church service, even though I know it will bless me.

The dimension that my saw is the most blunt in is social/emotional. I work so hard to remain positive and lift up the people around me, but I tend to take so much water out of my own bucket that I'm eventually scraping the bottom with nothing left to give. I need to rejuvenate my own emotional stores and be more secure within myself so I can form and maintain better relationships.

I often get so obsessed over different areas in my life that my relationships suffer. I push myself too hard emotionally and then I'm constantly crying on the shoulders of the people I want to be happy with. That's why I'm going to focus on this seventh habit, sharpening my saw, so I can be truly successful both on the outside and the inside.