Steven Covey, in Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, speaks of the habit of “sharpening the ax.” He tells the story of a lumberjack who frustratingly finds day after day that he is able to cut down fewer and fewer trees. Finally, an older, wiser lumberjack suggests he will chop down more trees if he stops spending all of his time cutting, and spends more time sharpening his ax. Covey then suggests that highly effective people take the necessary time to sharpen their own ax by prioritizing personal growth.
What are your “sharpening the ax” practices or habits? What are you doing on a consistent basis that helps you grow in character and effectiveness as a person? Growth is a byproduct of the habits and practices that define our lives. This takes forethought and intentionality.
We know, when it comes to money, that we should invest a portion of what we make so that our “net worth” can grow. Shouldn’t we also invest a portion of our time so that our “personal worth” can grow? Personal habits, whether they be organizational, physical, or spiritual can affect the trajectory of our life. Are there gaps in your “sharpening the ax” practices that need to be filled? Here are a few sharpening ideas to prime the pump. You can add to the list.
- Listen to a good podcast. Tim Ferriss, The One Thing, and Andy Stanley are just a few of hundreds that will spur you on.
- Put your cell phone away during meals.
- Read a biography of someone you have admired.
- Go to bed 30 minutes earlier and then get up 30 minutes earlier.
- Build the habit of planning your day before the day begins.
- Set 3 goals for 2019 that you are absolutely committed to achieving.
- Stop one bad habit.
- Step up your exercising.
- Go to church.
- Begin meeting with a friend and help each other grow.
Growth takes time and work. Personal growth is very much like the growth that happens in a garden. Start thinking about the habits and practices that you can build into your life that creates the kind of soil in which seed can grow and multiply. The right habits and practices lived over weeks, months, years, decades can change the trajectory of a life. Conversely, the wrong habits and practices lived over weeks, months, years, and decades can completely derail a beautiful life. The issue is not so much where are you right now, but what direction are you headed. And so, as you think, ask yourself, what kind of soil are my habits and practices creating?
