Abraham Lincoln’s saying, “If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first four hours sharpening the axe,” speaks to the importance of purposeful preparation and focus. Wailing away at a tree with a dull axe is less than rewarding, to say nothing of the fact that you’ll spend considerably less energy sharpening than swinging, and can be more available to Life once the tree has been felled. Habit #7 also elevates taking care of yourself in the middle of requests of your time, and obligations to work and family -- you put yourself closer to the top of the checklist understanding that you can be better for everyone else if you are well taken care of.
Just like lifting weights builds muscle, challenging situations present opportunities to practice Covey’s habits. I had a teacher some years ago introduce me to a series of classroom management strategies, and he suggested to look forward to bad-weather days, and days leading up to vacation. Hyped-up kids who’d rather be elsewhere, he said, are the perfect chance to practice your skills. Sharpening the saw means that I focus, looking for situations to deposit more than I withdraw from relationships; that I put myself fully in the shoes of the person emptying their heart before speaking; that I take control of situations by owning my responsibility to think, say, and react with the end in mind. In essence, sharpening my skills, prevents stagnation and mediocrity. I can teach my students the importance of a spiraling motion as it concerns curriculum. Just because we’re learning long division with whole numbers, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep fresh on how to divide by fractions. Likewise, strategies used socially to avoid dramatic situations with friends and family, can be revisited and practiced so that when life presents an unexpected challenge, you can be ready; when friends (and co-workers) need advise or help, you’re the person they can trust to turn to.
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December 2016
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