#277: When is your off-season
Every pro sports team has an off-season, do you know why? Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Covey, and foresters can explain!
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Two foresters entered a competition to discover who could cut down the most trees in a day.
One was an older man, and the other was younger. The younger man's strategy was size and strength, but the older man had a different strategy. Every hour he sat down and rested. The younger man noticed what he was doing and mockingly laughed at him. He can't even make it an hour, he thought. I've got this competition won.
While the younger man kept chopping and chopping and chopping, the older man chopped for fifty minutes and rested for ten, chopped for fifty minutes, and rested for ten. This went on all day long. At the end of the day, the judge counted the trees. To everyone's surprise, the older man had chopped down twice as many trees as the younger. Everyone was confused, primarily since the older man worked considerably less than the other. Then the older man pointed out that when he was resting, he was also sharpening his ax.
"Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." Abraham Lincoln
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Sharpen the saw
Stephen Covey said it years ago in his book the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Sharpen the Saw means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have - you. It means having a balanced program for self-renewal in the critical areas of your life: physical, spiritual, mental, family, financial, personal, and career. These seven aspects make up your wheel of life, and you can't run on a flat tire!
When and how do you energize
Energizing is essential, and it means something different to everyone. When I was younger, it was golfing, and now it is hiking in the woods. But it is more than just getting away and getting unplugged. It's about sharpening the axe as well. So how are you preparing and making sure your axe is sharp?
The key to all of this is that you have a balanced approach. Living to win is only possible if you attempt to keep these areas in harmony. That means you must choose to win, and make good choices along the way.
We all know how difficult that is. Sometimes it's necessary to sacrifice a little in one area because things are stressful in others. However, if you haven't been paying attention to all areas of your life, there is nothing left to sacrifice. How can you borrow from Peter to pay Paul if Peter is broke?
The graphic in this blog is part of a program from the Ziglar Organization. I have mentioned the first part of the program in many of my past articles. First, you need to know your why. What do you want to be, do, or have in every one of these areas of your life? How do you you know where to improve, if you don’t know what you want to be, do, or have?
Sharpening your axe in every one of these areas can look like this;
Mental: Meditation, gratitude journaling
Spiritual: Reading the bible, paying it forward, working with a charity
Physical: Exercising, changing your eating habits
Family: Spending time around the dinner table more often, calendaring family time
Financial: Saving money first, prioritizing needs over wants
Personal: Girl's night out, friends, social events
Career: Learning new skills, webinars, classes
It really is as easy as that. And when these become habits, you look for more things to do in each area. We all want to be successful, and Tom Ziglar says it best:
"The fastest way to success is to replace bad habits with good ones."
We titled this article "When is your off-season" to remind you to take one, and make a plan when you do. Maybe it is 10 minutes every hour like our foresters or a few hours each Saturday; you must find the time and create a habit. Then, when it becomes such a routine that you don't have to think about it, you add something new. That’s how you grow, and how you improve.
It is vital for you as a leader, but your wheel has another spoke. Your wheel includes your team. Are they balanced? Do you allow them that 10-minutes every hour? Lead by example; don't denigrate them if they walk in late or take an extra day off. Instead, ask them about their family and friends and what they like to do outside the office.
I read about being a peak performer years ago, and it has been a goal of mine to aim for a balanced life. How many times have I achieved perfect balance? I would hazard to guess that the number of times is very few. But let me be clear, we are not striving for a moment. Instead, we strive to be confident and comfortable that we are doing the best we can, with whatever circumstances are upon us.
If any part of my wheel goes flat; for example, I lose a client, break a leg, or have a bad year in the market, the rest of the areas will help absorb that blow to the system if they are in good to excellent shape. We can't stop bad things from happening, but we can prepare for them. That is why we have an off-season. Chopping a tree down with a dull axe is very difficult.
Let’s start planning this weekend! As we get ready for our Thanksgiving traditions, whatever they may be, find some quiet time. Start thinking of what you want to be, do, or have. Look at things, big or small, that you can start doing to improve each of those areas of your life. Next year, you’ll be extra grateful on Thanksgiving, for the off-season mentality you start now.
Having said that, we will not be posting a blog on Thursday - I’ll be sharpening my knife!
The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. - Lao Tzu
At the Kole Performance Group, we always start with why! It is hard work today, but it leads to a better tomorrow.
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