The 7th and "Last Habit”- Renewal.

Is it really the last Habit? Not really. There is an “8th Habit”… and I am going to have to read that book next. The 7th and “last” Habit in the book is one I can definitely relate to. Dr. Covey calls the 7th Habit, “Sharpen the Saw”. The chapter starts with a story of someone working really hard for hours at sawing down a tree. When asked why does he not take a break to sharpen the saw, the reply is that he doesn’t have the time since he’s so busy sawing. Aren’t we all? We are so engrossed into the daily crunch and all the “to-do’s” that we hardly ever pause and renew. Renew? How? There’s more than one way for us to “sharpen our saws”. Dr. Covey suggests that there are 4 “dimensions” to this type of renewal: Physical, Spiritual, Mental and Social. No doubt, it’s important investing time in one’s self – aka “Personal PC” - Taking care of that which allows you to be productive. Think about it, if the guy had taken a break to sharpen his saw, not only he would probably get done sooner but probably stress and strain less.


There was a time I had a corporate gym at my disposal. I would go to it daily, during lunch, for almost three years. It was great. Not only did I shed some pounds and look good, I felt good. I had more energy and could deal with the stresses in life quite well. Although I wish I had the knowledge then that I have now, I would have made even more progress. This type of “physical renewal” for me was part of my daily routine. If I couldn’t make it to the gym for some reason, I felt a big gap was missing in my life. It was actually difficult not to go. However, if for some reason I missed going several days in a row, getting back into the groove was just as tough.

I was brought-up Catholic and attended Catholic school both in the U.S. and in Peru. My parents forced me to attend church weekly, but after a while – it became routine and actually enjoyed it. I never realized the “Spiritual renewal” that was probably taking place in my life. It is these types of activities I highly encourage everyone to do. Whatever your beliefs to be, I feel it is important that you take the time to immerse yourself in it (even if it is only 1 hour a week) to understand it – and even make it a part of your core, your Principles (and/or mission statement as founding Habit 2).

Something I would’ve considered a “mental renewal” for myself is pencil drawing. But it might not qualify as such. Dr. Covey’s examples of “sharpening the mental saw” include education, reading and writing. Not just any reading– the good stuff: reading literature from great authors and cultural periodicals like National Geographic. Can I write anything? Sure. How about things that explore feelings and communicate them effectively – deep stuff. Not entirely me. However, I didn’t see anything on drawing. I wonder if it’s more of a “quadrant 4” activity (See Habit 3). Either way, I love to draw free-hand and watch my graphite strokes on paper take shape little by little. For me, it was a way to express my inner feelings – not in words, but in pictures. Most where people… close-ups, showing a lot of detail of the eyes and face. I suppose I was trying to capture emotion, feeling. What’s funny is how I never would hesitate to “take a break” and sharpen my pencil throughout the drawing. I simply knew that if I didn’t, the level of detail I sought to portray would not be obtained.

Pencil portrait I did of my Wife as a Wedding gift.

At least the frame was really nice!

Lastly, “social renewal” – this is something I wasn’t ever very good at. It isn’t so much a renewal, but more of a way of life. Dr. Covey does a wonderful job of tying in the “public victories” from Habits, 4, 5 and 6 into the “social dimension”. That is, living a life that is truly interdependent. A life firmly grounded on principles, values and integrity. In addition, having the mind-set that there is always “win/win” scenario, says that you are ready to understand others first and communicate your views clearly to find the third alternative. With all of this in mind, we are now ready to serve others – not because we want recognition, but because we truly, deeply want to help others and be a positive influence.

This final chapter really is grand. It sums up so much from the entire book, it makes you want to read it all over again and take notes. Luckily, I did already do some of that (proactively, ha) because I knew I was going to blog it – and it has helped me a great deal.
My next step is to read “The 8th Habit”. I can only imagine that it’s going to be just a great read as the “The 7 Habits…”. I will try to blog about it in the future, but for now – I would like to reflect on the 7 Habits I just learned. I would like to find real-life examples of where they applied and worked – or where they could have been applied, and missed the opportunity.