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Staying Sharp


I wanted to give a quick example of what I was discussing yesterday in Sharpening the Axe. Starting in college, I began the habit of kicking off the day with a workout and sometimes would even do a short but intense training session in the afternoon as well. At that time in my life, I was on a course to become a physician so I studied with a group of half a dozen or more highly driven and motivated students (all of whom are now currently physicians save one, and he is married to one of my classmates in the group who became a neurologist). We not only had a full load of difficult classes, but we were also involved in many other extracurricular activities such as campus clubs and volunteer groups as we built our resumes in preparation for med school applications. They were long days of concentrated effort with little time to waste.

Some of my classmates couldn’t understand why I would “waste” precious time at the gym while I could be studying or doing experiments in the lab (yes time in the lab was a valuable thing – we are nerds, please don’t judge us). They assumed I was choosing physical health, or maybe just prideful vanity, over my academic opportunities. What they failed to recognize was that by beginning the day with intense and sometimes brutal physical activity, it would clear my mind and energize my spirit, preparing me for everything else I would have to accomplish and learn that day. Although at the time I didn’t understand some of the psychological and physiological mechanisms at work, I did notice my studying was more effective after being physically active, my mind was able to glean more information from lectures and better assimilate complex concepts and I felt more energized in all my activities. In short, I was sharpening my axe. That hour or two of exercise wasn’t a tradeoff with my studies, it actually enhanced my education and experiences because it heightened my cognitive capabilities and energy levels throughout the rest of the day. In a sense, I invested that hour or two at the gym to make the other fifteen or sixteen waking hours of the day more profitable. The health benefits were a byproduct. That’s a deal I’ll take every day!

So, the question wasn’t “can I afford to spend the time at the gym today?” It really became, “can I afford not to?” I realized then, some of the most precious moments of the day are those spent sharpening the axe.

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