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How to continuously improve
A tribute to the Medium friends who helped me sharpen my saw
I am a big proponent of the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. It was the best professional development course I ever had. It had such a profound impact that I became certified and teach it regularly at my workplace.
Habit 7 is Sharpen the Saw. It is the Habit of continuous improvement. To be effective and productive in our lives, we must continuously commit ourselves to keep developing and improving ourselves in each of four dimensions: physical, spiritual, social/emotional, and mental.
I always emphasize in my classes that we cannot take care of others until we first take care of ourselves. It is not a selfish mindset — it is plain common sense. Keeping ourselves effective in all four dimensions makes us much more able to help others. Being ineffective at sharpening our saws leads to burn-out.
Another key component of the Seven Habits is that that we simply cannot do it alone. We need others to help us along our journey to effectiveness.
As I approach my first anniversary on Medium, I have been thinking about all the phenomenal connections I have made on this platform. So many of my Medium followers have touched me with their stories of strength and endurance in overcoming hardships and…
