Are You Sharpening the Saw? Are You Investing in Yourself?

A new day begins, and the pressure is on. Life’s demands stare us in the face, and it is easy to hop into the flurry of activity and events of the day. In the midst of the shuffle, valuable habits are left undone and neglected.

We delay our Bible reading.
We omit exercise from our daily routine.
We don’t allow ourselves adequate rest.
We don’t plan and prepare enough for healthy eating and snacking.
We forget to take our vitamins.
We use our free time unwisely.

We push forward, thinking we are doing great things, as we skip over some of the greater things in life – time with God, time with people, time for ourselves to rejuvenate and grow.

Stephen Covey, in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, encourages a very important habit – Sharpen the Saw.

Here’s an excerpt from his web site:
Sharpen the Saw means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have--you. It means having a balanced program for self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual.

It is easy to push forward and take care of everybody and everything else and to forget to sharpen the saw, to forget to INVEST in ourselves so that we may be better people and live better lives for the glory of God.

Yes, that’s right.
Taking care of yourself is an INVESTMENT.

When you care for your body, soul, and spirit, you are not only investing in yourself, you are investing in your family, your friends, your co-workers, and everyone else around you.

When you take care of yourself, you are investing in your projects, responsibilities, and events of the day.

As we purpose to make time in our days for learning, growing, building, and resting, we create a reserve in ourselves that helps us meet the challenges and joys of the day with strength and ultimately live more abundant lives.

Are you sharpening the saw?

Are you adequately taking care of yourself?

I encourage you to reflect upon your life and work on areas of life where you see neglect.

Taking care of yourself is never a waste of time.