Years ago, in my time as a practitioner of the Christian faith, I came up with an idea for a book. I even named it: "Renewal, a matter of revive or die". The premise was that as human beings we need to reinvigorate our lives: work, studies, love relationship, finances, emotions and so on. I firmly believe in the need and capacity of human beings to renew themselves, to restart if necessary.
In the book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", by the author Stephen Covey, we find an interesting illustration that clearly explains this topic of personal renewal. A man was cutting down a tree with a saw, which, judging by the result obtained, was in need of sharpening. A person, seeing him tired from five hours of sawing without much fruit, suggested that he sharpen the saw so that he could cut the tree faster. The man, a bit upset and with a hint of annoyance, replied: "I don't have time to sharpen the saw. I'm too busy sawing.
This sawyer's reasoning is that of many of us. We are so busy taking pictures and videos that we forget to clear our phone's cache memory or forget to delete those files that do not serve us and are there taking up unnecessary space, slowing down the device. Or maybe we use our car relentlessly as a cab service, skipping the necessary checks to the engine, gearbox or shock absorbers, even when we notice some noises while driving.
Another way to postpone the sharpening of the saw, is to accumulate topics of conversation with your partner, important issues to resolve that allow us to release the tension and those "negative" emotions. When we don't do this, the saw loses its edge and everything starts to flow more slowly, the relationship becomes stagnant and the tensions pile up like empty and useless boxes, but they take up space that should be released.
I confess something to you, my dear readers. Many of my saws are notched: the saw of my self-control, the saw of my finances, the saw of my physical health. I have also neglected the saw of my spirituality (not religiosity, I am agnostic), the saw of my interpersonal relationships, the saw of my profession. Without room for hesitation, I urgently need to grind these saws, otherwise I will continue to stagnate or take longer to achieve my goals, not to mention the feeling of unhappiness and frustration that will remain present in my life.
My dear ones, I need to take time to sharpen my saw. Check myself, evaluate myself and sharpen what I need to sharpen. I must and I want to renew myself, I believe that if I don't I will "die" or I will live without substance and unhappy. The good news is that I have already started to sharpen, I have started a process of renewal and personal growth. I am convinced that we can achieve the impossible as long as we set our minds to it, we are conscious and we put 1000% of our part in wanting to improve ourselves.
Photo of my property
Thank you to this magnificent community that receives my words. I hope and wish that they can inspire, motivate and reflect, after all, that is my ikigai, my purpose in life.
Before I say goodbye, I invite you to leave a comment sharing those saws you need to sharpen, do you identify them, do you want to take the time to do it, maybe you have already started to do it, how have you been doing?
Gary Samuel Bilbao wrote for you. Thanks for reading me. A hug for you from a distance.