Hi, this is Brian.
Welcome back to another Areté +1°, a micro-chapter (one of 451 such micro-chapters) in our new book, Areté: Activate Your Heroic Potential.
This one is from Objective III, optimizing your Big 3: Energy, Work and Love.
It's the third micro-chapter, in fact, from Objective III.
SAWS VS. CHAINSAWS
IT ALL ALWAYS STARTS WITH ENERGY
Let’s go back to Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits for a moment. This time, we’ll look at the very last habit of highly effective people.
After teaching us the importance of being proactive, beginning with the end in mind, doing first things first, thinking win/win, seeking first to understand and then leveraging the power of synergy (Habits #1–6!), Covey tells us that we need to make sure we take time to renew ourselves as we “Sharpen the Saw.”
To bring the point home, he tells us to imagine walking in a forest. We see someone sawing down a tree. It’s obvious to us that the blade is dull which is making that person work way harder and longer than they would need to if they had a sharp blade.
So, we suggest that they sharpen their saw a bit. In response, the person tells us: “I’m TOO BUSY to take the time to sharpen my saw!”
Moral of the story: Don’t be that saw person who thinks you’re too busy to get your Energy dialed in or you run the risk of not having the vitality you need to give your best to your Work and Love!!
(Personal question: ARE YOU BEING THAT GUY OR GAL?)
Of course, I love that story.
And… I say, why just take the time to “sharpen the saw”?
If getting our Energy is SO ESSENTIAL to our flourishing (it is!), then I say we step back and take the time to BUILD A CHAINSAW!!!
Remember: Science says that ZEST (a.k.a. ENERGY!) is THE #1 predictor of our well-being and flourishing—which (echo!) is why a good, Heroic life begins with getting our energy to Heroic levels so we can show up most powerfully in our Work and Love.
Therefore, I repeat…
Let’s make sure we’re prioritizing our Energy.
Don’t just sharpen your saw.
Build a chainsaw.
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