Every now and then go away, even briefly, and have a little relaxation. For when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer; since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose power. -Leonardo da Vinci

I love that quote. It’s something that I still struggle with sometimes. Stephen Covey, acclaimed author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” calls it Sharpening The Saw.

He tells the story of two lumber jacks in the woods sawing down trees. One of them is working feverishly at the task, rarely stopping to take a break. The other is working at a slower but steady pace and takes breaks frequently. At the end of the day, the lumberjack working at the slower pace has cut down twice as many trees as the one working feverishly. When questioned by the worn out, tired lumberjack as to how he accomplished twice as much in the same amount of time, and working at a slower pace, his answer is quiet simple: “I took time out to sharpen my saw.”

Covey talks about spending an hour a day, everyday, for the rest of your life working on one or more of the following areas: Physical, mental, spiritual, social/emotional. “There’s no other way you could spend an hour that would begin to compare with the Daily Private Victory in terms of value and result. It will affect every decision and every relationship. It will greatly improve the quality and effectiveness of every other hour of the day, including the depth and restfulness of your sleep. It will build the long-term physical, spiritual, and mental strength to enable you to handle difficult challenges in life.”

Does an hour a day seem impossible right now? Then start with 5 minutes and work up to 15 minutes, then 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and then an hour. Even if you can’t get beyond 10-15 minutes a day in the next year, you will still make tremendous strides had you done nothing instead.

It’s often said that “Yard by yard it’s hard, but inch by inch it’s a cinch.” Too many of us want to leap ahead to the great things in life. But we need to start small right where we are. If you do that from where you are, today, and begin making the small changes, I promise you that soon you’ll see your life change in BIG ways.

I believe in you!