The Art of Renewing Yourself

The Habit #7 of the Highly effective people is Sharpen the Saw.
The seventh habit revolves around all the six habits (Be Proactive, Begin with the end in mind, Put first things first, Think Win/Win, Seek first to understand, then to be understood and Synergy) because it makes all of them possible.
This habit focuses on you, it preserves you and improves you by renewing the four dimensions of your nature — physical, spiritual, mental and social/emotional.
The 4 Dimensions of Renewal

There are four dimensions of our nature that make us who we are. All the seven habits lie within these four dimensions. Hence, it is important to know about them.
These dimensions together create the balance that allows us to be the person we have always desired to become.
The Physical Dimension
A healthy mind lives in a healthy body
The physical dimension concerns with keeping us healthy. By exercising regularly over the week and eating healthy and nutritious food we can enhance our physical dimension.
Most of us easily neglect this dimension of our life. We tend to be lazy and say that we don’t have time. Really? We don’t have time to keep ourselves fit and healthy?
It only costs us about 6–7 hours at max a week. And the value it provides us for the other 160 hours is immense.
Also it’s not necessary to join a gym to get fit. There are many things you can do at your home. You just have to be willing to learn about them. Search on the internet, ask a friend or go to your doctor for advice.
As you exercise regularly, you develop the Habit 1 muscles of proactivity. It boosts your self-esteem and self-confidence, bringing about a paradigm shift.
The Spiritual Dimension
The spiritual dimension concerns with developing your leadership ability. It is highly related to Habit 2.
It allows us to identify what we really want in our life, it is our core, our center, our values that shapes who we are and what we become.
Meditation is an important part of this dimension. It relieves us of all our stresses and problems and gives us peace. You feel renewed, strengthened and recommitted to serve.
The greatest battles of life are fought out daily in the silent chambers of the soul — David O. McKay
When you win the battles within yourself, you will feel a sense of peace, a sense of knowing who you’re about. And you will find that your relations with those you know will improve naturally.
The Mental Dimension
Most of us believe that school and college education is enough to teach us how to live a better life. We choose a single stream, we finish, we get a degree and we stop.
We don’t see that life is about learning, of keeping on improving ourselves, exploring other subjects or fields. But instead of learning or reading, we waste time watching TV.
Yes, TV has its own importance. There are many shows that are really good and add value to your life but there are also shows that are addicting and have harmful effects on us.
You may not realise this but whatever you watch on TV influences you. So be careful what you watch.
Reading books, on the other hand, exposes you to different life philosophies. Reading the works of great people fills you with immense knowledge. And you realise how much the world has changed.
I myself read a book a week and I have been doing this for about a year now. I cannot explain how much I have learned from the experiences of others!
Writing is another powerful way you can sharpen the saw. Keeping a journal with yourself and making notes of all the great ideas that you get throughout the day has its own advantages. Because it’s so easy to forget.
The Social/Emotional Dimension
The social/emotional dimension focuses on Habits 4, 5, and 6 — centred on the principles of interpersonal leadership, empathic communication, and creative cooperation.
We, humans, are social creatures, we are wired to live with people. Every day we spend most of our time around people like our family, our friends, our colleagues, and our neighbours.
To realise that all the people see the world, not as it is, but as they are, is a huge lesson to learn!
Without realising this we tend to force our opinions on others that takes them away from us. At this time they don’t trust us anymore.
But when we do realise this we can practice Habit 4 and say to them “I see you think different from me. Why not communicate until we find some solution? Would you be willing to do that?”
Most of the time they will say “yes”. Then you can practice Habit 5 and say “Let me listen to you first”. Now you are willing to understand them and look at the things from their point of view.
Then practicing Habit 6, you both can synergize, you build trust based on your communication and come up with a third Win/Win alternative.
So you see, it’s not that hard. All it takes to deal with people is patience and desire to genuinely understand them.
Balance in Renewal
The four dimensions must be renewed and maintain a balance.
Being very good at one and very bad at another doesn’t work. You will always feel that something is missing.
Neglecting the physical dimension and doing good at the other three dimensions will negatively affect you.
Can you think of being really effective without being healthy and fit?
No, it doesn’t work like that. Careful slow enhancement in all four dimensions is better than an unbalanced high enhancement.
You have to be accountable for yourself and be willing to take action.
Stephen Covey talks about the upward spiral of Learn, Commit and Do. First, you learn, then you commit to it and do it.
To keep progressing we must learn, commit, and do- learn, commit, and do- learn, commit and do again.
I hope you got something better out of this post.
You can learn more about Renewing yourself by reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.
If you liked this post, kindly tap the ❤ button below and share, so that others can also get benefit from it!
Thank you so much for reading!

