Sharpening The Saw...

Wow -- it's been nearly a month since I posted. I guess this wedding prep has caught up to me!

I heard a saying today that I hadn't heard before. Maybe you've heard about it -- it's called "Sharpening The Saw." Let me explain.

The seminar I went to had to do with setting your own personal goals and aspirations -- but to make sure that "in there somewhere" was a "goal" of spending a part of each day, and definitely at least one day a week -- to yourself. I have heard the "recharge your batteries" comment -- but I liked this one better.

The speaker said that this was like "sharpening a saw" -- meaning, that if you're going to be out there fighting the good fight and "cutting down trees" to get at your goal, that you have to take that time to "sharpen your saw" -- meaning, get it ready to more quickly and effectively cut those trees down the next time you use it.

When I use the term "recharge my batteries" it sort of means "lazing around doing nothing and maybe catching up on a little Oprah." I am sure that this phrase COULD mean the same to some folks -- just not to me.

So I'm switching to the "sharpening the saw" downtime description. Because just by saying it, this means something totally different -- instead of drinking a chocolate milk and watching bad reruns of Magnum PI (don't shoot me), which would be "recharging my batteries," I would be reading my back issues of "Experience Life" magazine, or sorting through a cabinet to make it easier to access the next time around, stuff like that.

I work from home -- so though the "reorganize the cabinet" stuff might sound like "work," to me, if I'm doing that at 2:30 p.m., it's a "break." And as I reorganize, I might be thinking about something I need to do for a client, etc. -- but I'm definitely putting my house to rights. Similarly, though sometimes I am galvanized by something I see on Oprah, I am REALLY inspired, every time, but something I read in Experience Life. And I just don't seem to "get around to it" (because I'm lazing around "recharging" of course).

So that's just one to think about!

Solitaire