Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Sharpening the Axe

Everyone is different and everyone will find their own method of recharging. If you don't have a way to recharge, please start looking. A lot of what I've learned about myself as I grew up and am still growing is that if you listen to yourself you can figure out what you need to recharge. The Sharpening of the Axe, a story I heard over the weekend, illustrates how we can all be better, do more things, achieve greater goals and still do great things in the time we have.

I'm not sure if everyone has ever had to sharpen a knife, axe or sword recently so the metaphor may not play out for you. Introverted v Extroverted recovery. Meditation. Yoga. Running. Biking. Binge watching The Daily Show. One of these might resonate and if it does you may know how to recharge. I didn't mention work in that list because if you recharge at work I am unable to relate to that in this post. To work, heads down, no break, no interaction and constantly focused on a single goal is a very hard thing for the body to do. You breath, you blink, you shift in your seat; the body is not meant to be still for a full day at work and neither is your mind.

Each hour of each day, save when sleeping, you should Sharpen Your Axe by pulling back and realizing where you are, stretch a bit, stand up, take a walk, get a glass of water, etc. A few times a day you need to let your mind go somewhere other than work so that subconscious of yours can noodle over the problem you've been working on. Each week you need to get away completely for a bit. Don't look at your phone, answer emails, etc.

When you step away from work you are still working. You are working on you being a better self, partner, co-worker, friend and more. You need a sharper self to be a better self.

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