Choosing to Sharpen First

“We must never become too busy sawing to take time to sharpen the saw.” This is a Quote by Steven Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. What does it mean to sharpen the saw? Steven Covey shared this parable about a young man and a woodcutter. ‘A woodcutter strained to saw down a tree. A young man who was watching asked “What are you doing?”. “Are you blind?” the woodcutter replied. “I’m cutting down this tree.” The young man was unabashed. “You look exhausted! Take a break. Sharpen your saw.” The woodcutter explained to the young man that he had been sawing for hours and did not have time to take a break. The young man pushed back… “If you sharpen the saw, you would cut down the tree much faster.” The woodcutter said, “I don’t have time to sharpen the saw. Don’t you see I’m too busy?”.

We could see that the process of cutting was dulling the blade. And the duller the blade, the greater the effort that is required to keep sawing. The solution is for the woodcutter to stop and take breaks to sharpen the saw. But he was so engrossed in the situation that he couldn’t see the need to take a break and do what was necessary to make his job easier. Sharpening the Saw means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have — you. I took this as a step toward reaching my dream job because I knew the importance of continuing to study would do for me.

Rather than going straight to a full-time job, I decided to study to enhance my knowledge and skills for my dream job in music and film. Instead of getting a full-time job, there are hours in my curriculum that I have set to put my learnings to use. As part of my PCC (Personal College Curriculum), I have three hours for studying and the rest for accepting client projects. I knew having this as part of my curriculum would not only allow me to gain real-life experience but also become an addition to my portfolio. I wanted to learn all I could before stepping into the field. Just like athletes, you need a lot of practice matches and activities that help strengthen your skills before the real game. The same can be said for any career in life. So what about you? What things in your life need to be sharpened?