“Sharpen the saw…your saw”
Nothing trumps self responsibility. Regardless the field of play; on the pitch, on the court, on the field, on the water or in life! You are 100% responsible for you and you alone. C.S. Lewis said it best, “The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes per hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.” There are no time advantages. Everyone has the same time constraints. The only difference is how WE chose to invest our time. I’ve got to be honest with you, my #1 (by a long shot) pet-peeve is when people sit on the sidelines of life and chronically complain about their position. Forlornly these complainers are all around us. If we’re not careful it is easy to fall into the victim mindset and expect others to help us and or bring opportunities to us.
Stephen Covey lists it as the culmination of his “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”
#7- “Sharpen the saw.” I like to add the personal element…”your saw,” because ultimately you are supremely and uniquely responsible for your actions. All too often people are worried about everyone around them and forget to worry about the only thing they have control over—themselves. Aldous Huxley aptly put it, “There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.”
There is no better time to commit to being better than right now. In the course of life we’re dealt a set of cards, how we play them is up to us, not those around us. “Life is not holding a good hand; Life is playing a poor hand well.”- Danish Proverb. How many times have you been confronted with a curve ball, deadline or change of plans at the last minute? How you ultimately deliver results, is highly contingent on the way you receive these curve balls. Are you open to new ideas, new methods, and new theories? It all starts between your ears. I like to think in verbs and particularly enjoy the quote from Schachi & Schachi Advertising, “If you want to study lions, don’t go to the zoo, go to the jungle.” Go to the source, don’t wait for permission, get in front of the curve, anticipate your next move well before it is called for and take action. If you’re sitting on the fence regarding higher learning, applying for business school, law school or getting a higher certificate—DO IT NOW! I guarantee you’ll grow exponentially more than had you not made the commitment. You’ll meet new people, expand your horizons and learn new methods and be richer for it.
Take personal responsibility and challenge yourself to be “one day better.” I’ll commit to you the same. If everyone around you truly committed to being better tomorrow than they are today, I guarantee the recession and uncertainty will dissipate. We are what we make; we become what we focus on. What’s your focus for 2009?
Nothing trumps self responsibility. Regardless the field of play; on the pitch, on the court, on the field, on the water or in life! You are 100% responsible for you and you alone. C.S. Lewis said it best, “The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes per hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.” There are no time advantages. Everyone has the same time constraints. The only difference is how WE chose to invest our time. I’ve got to be honest with you, my #1 (by a long shot) pet-peeve is when people sit on the sidelines of life and chronically complain about their position. Forlornly these complainers are all around us. If we’re not careful it is easy to fall into the victim mindset and expect others to help us and or bring opportunities to us.
Stephen Covey lists it as the culmination of his “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”
#7- “Sharpen the saw.” I like to add the personal element…”your saw,” because ultimately you are supremely and uniquely responsible for your actions. All too often people are worried about everyone around them and forget to worry about the only thing they have control over—themselves. Aldous Huxley aptly put it, “There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.”
There is no better time to commit to being better than right now. In the course of life we’re dealt a set of cards, how we play them is up to us, not those around us. “Life is not holding a good hand; Life is playing a poor hand well.”- Danish Proverb. How many times have you been confronted with a curve ball, deadline or change of plans at the last minute? How you ultimately deliver results, is highly contingent on the way you receive these curve balls. Are you open to new ideas, new methods, and new theories? It all starts between your ears. I like to think in verbs and particularly enjoy the quote from Schachi & Schachi Advertising, “If you want to study lions, don’t go to the zoo, go to the jungle.” Go to the source, don’t wait for permission, get in front of the curve, anticipate your next move well before it is called for and take action. If you’re sitting on the fence regarding higher learning, applying for business school, law school or getting a higher certificate—DO IT NOW! I guarantee you’ll grow exponentially more than had you not made the commitment. You’ll meet new people, expand your horizons and learn new methods and be richer for it.
Take personal responsibility and challenge yourself to be “one day better.” I’ll commit to you the same. If everyone around you truly committed to being better tomorrow than they are today, I guarantee the recession and uncertainty will dissipate. We are what we make; we become what we focus on. What’s your focus for 2009?
