According to Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, a person is like a saw:

A worn-down saw can’t do its job well––or sometimes at all––but a sharp saw can quickly and efficiently make a cut. People are the same. If we take the time to renew ourselves, we will return to our activities and responsibilities refreshed and ready to do our best.

I think it is an important part of my journey to sit down and take stock of my progress once in a while, to ask myself, am I living my best life? What can I do right now to improve, to reach my goals?

Covey defines four areas of life that need to be in balance in order to be most effective: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual.

Physical

• I’m improving my health by making better food choices, including organic and non-processed foods.
• I can improve by adding some consistent physical activity––like yoga––to my daily and weekly routines.

Social/Emotional

• I’m getting a lot more social interaction at my new job, meeting new people, etc.
• I can improve by making more of an effort to be friendly and engage these new people (something that’s difficult for me!).

Mental

• I’m learning so much from reading The Omnivore’s Dillemma!
• I can improve by using more of the time I spend watching TV for reading interesting books like this one.

Spiritual

• I’m spending at least 15 minutes every morning writing in a journal and time blogging.
• I can improve by trying meditation when I add yoga to my daily practice.

I truly believe that this kind of self-inventory is key to making any kind of lasting changes.  Ask yourself today, “Am I living my best life?  What can I do today to sharpen the saw?”