My day would involve riding my bike to get shave ice, then meeting up with friends at the park to spin on the merry-go-round. I would take off my shoes and play in the little brook that ran through the park. When it started to get dark, I would ride home to eat a home-cooked dinner made by my mom. Then, it would be off to play night games like “Ghost in the Graveyard” and “Capture the Flag.”

As a family, you can “sharpen the saw” together by creating and observing family traditions. When we work to build family traditions together, we show we are valuing the basic needs of individuals and our families.  Renewing our family is where family bonding, identity, fulfillment, and happiness is found. Many of these renewal times come when we are giving time to the “Big Rocks” we learned in Habit ; regular one on one-time, regular meals together, regular family times and family rituals and traditions. It may be helpful to ask your family members what some of their favorite family traditions are. Is there anything they would like to make a tradition Is there a tradition they would like to discontinue

I would like to close with the following inspiring quote by Dr. Covey: “This is the single most powerful investment we can ever make in life—investment in ourselves, in the only instrument we have to with which to deal with life and to contribute. We are the instruments of our own performance, and to be effective, we need to recognize the importance of taking time regularly to sharpen the saw in all four ways.”

           By taking time to renew ourselves in these four dimensions, we will be much more effective and successful when engaging in life’s tasks and pursuits—including leading our teams to greater results. Abraham Lincoln illustrated this truth by saying, “If I had only six hours to chop down a tree, I would spend the first hour sharpening my axe.”

           The key for us is to embrace the concepts of continuous learning and continuous improvement. We have all experienced success in our lives, but future growth and success is contingent on avoiding complacency and being intentional to grow and develop ourselves. Rick Warren cautions, “The greatest enemy of tomorrow’s success is today’s success.” I suggest a two-step process. First, embrace being a life-long learner. Second, put our learning into action. Jim Rohn encourages, “Don’t let your learning lead to knowledge. Let your learning lead to action.”