Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.

U. S. President John F. Kennedy

30 March 2017
 Review
Habit 5
Poor listening skills Definition

1. Spacing out a. You are only paying attention to the

2. Pretend listening
3. Selective listening
4. Word listening
5. Self-centered listening
things that someone is saying that
interests you.
b. Your mind wanders while someone is
talking to you.
c. Filtering what someone is saying
through your point of view.
d. You listen to someones words but not
the feelings they are trying to convey by
those words.
e. You look like you are listening by
nodding your head and saying things like
yeah and sounds great.
 Review
Habit 5

To genuinely listen, you must do these 3 things:

1. Listen with your _ _ _ _, heart and _ _ _ _. You must pay

attention to all aspects of the conversation, not only what the
person is saying but what they are not saying (i.e. body
language).

2. _ _ _ _ _ in their shoes. In this way, you try to see the world as

that person sees it and try to feel as they feel (empathy).

3. Practice _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. In this habit, you repeat back in your

own words what the other person is saying and feeling.
 Review
Habit 6: Synergize

The Synergize habit is about _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, openness and finding

new _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ to old problems.
 Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
Sharpening the Saw is about keeping your personal self sharp so
that you can better deal with life. It means regularly renewing
and strengthening the four key dimensions of your life:
1. The Physical Dimension: your body

2. The Mental Dimension: your brain

3. The Emotional Dimension: your heart

4. The Spiritual Dimension: your soul

By trying to accomplish something in each dimension, you are

brining balance to your life.
Video about Habit 7
 Dimension 1:
The Physical Dimension - your

body
This dimension is about taking care of your physical body. This
includes physical activity, exercise and a healthy diet.
Some ways to stay physically sharp are:
1. Eat good, healthy and nutritious food
2. Get enough sleep
3. Maintain good personal hygiene
4. Exercise
5. Participate in physical activities like taking a walk, doing yoga,
dancing, etc.
 Dimension 2:
The Mental Dimension - your brain

Means developing brain power through schooling,

extracurricular activities, hobbies, jobs and other mind-
enlarging experiences.
An educated mind can focus, synthesize, write, speak, create,
analyze, imagine and much more. However, in order to do all these
things, it must be trained.
Getting a good education may be the most important thing you can do
because more than anything else, what you do with your brain will
determine your future.
Some other ways to develop brain power: travel, watch documentaries,
read or listen to the news, write a poem or story, play challenging
solitary games like Sudoku, play a game of chess or another game of
strategy, visit a museum or learn to play a musical instrument.
 Dimension 3:
The Emotional Dimension - your heart

The best way to nourish your heart is to focus on building

healthy relationships and interactions with other people.
You can do this in multiple ways, such as keeping promises,
doing small acts of kindness, being loyal, being a good listener,
and saying youre sorry when you are wrong.
Make decisions that are best for you and not based on what
other people want.
Another important aspect of strengthening the emotional
dimension is making humor a part of your day. Laughing makes
everything better!
 Dimension 4:
The Spiritual Dimension - your soul

Sharpening the saw in the spiritual dimension means taking

time to renew and awaken that inner self.
The inner self is that which lurks beneath the surface of your
everyday self. It is your core, wherein lies your deepest beliefs
and values. It is the source for purpose, meaning and inner
peace.
Some ways of feeding your inner self (or soul): Meditating,
helping others, journal writing, taking nature walks, reading
inspiring books, praying, writing poetry or music, listening to
music, practicing religion, and reflecting on your goals or mission
statement.
 Youre already practicing balance.

The good news is that youre probably already doing a lot of saw-
sharpening without even knowing it!

If youre working hard at school, youre sharpening your mind.

If youre into fitness or athletics, youre caring for your body.
If youre developing friendships or being a good son/daughter, youre
nourishing your heart.
If youre spending quality time alone, youre bettering your relationship
with yourself.

Often you can sharpen the saw in more than one area at a time.
Example: you take a walk in nature, you are exercising your body and
nourishing your soul.
 Exercise
I am handing out a blank matrix.

In the first column for each dimension (physical, mental,

emotional and spiritual), place at least 2 activities that you do
right now.

Next, in the second column place at least 1 new activity that you
will try for each dimension.

As you can see, you are already sharpening the saw!

 Conclusion

As you see, to perform at your peak, you need to strive for

balance in all 4 dimensions.

Balance is important because an imbalance in one dimension will

affect the other three. For example: If one tire on your car is out
of alignment it will cause uneven wear on the other three.

Time to relax and to treat yourself to a little tender loving

care is essential. This is what sharpening the saw is all
about.