Story of a Woodcutter and his Axe
There was once a very strong woodcutter who applied for a job in a timber factory and he got it. The pay was really good and so were the work condition. For those reasons, the woodcutter was determined to do his best.
The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees.
“Congratulations and well done!” the boss said. “Go on that way!”
Very motivated by his boss words, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he could only bring 15 trees. The third day he tried even harder, but he could only bring 10 trees. Day after day he was bringing fewer and fewer trees.
“I must be losing my strength”, the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on.
“When was the last time you sharpened your axe?” the boss asked.
“Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees…”
Reflection:
Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy and caught up with our daily routine that we don’t take time to sharpen our “axe”. In today’s society, it seems that everyone is busier than ever, but less happy than ever.
Why is that so? Have we forgotten how to “relax”? There is nothing wrong with activity and hard work. But we should not let it come between the truly important things in our life, like giving more time for our family, constantly upgrading our skills etc..
We all need time to relax, to think, to learn and grow. If we don’t take the time to sharpen our “axe”, we will become dull and lose our effectiveness.
“Congratulations and well done!” the boss said. “Go on that way!”
Very motivated by his boss words, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he could only bring 15 trees. The third day he tried even harder, but he could only bring 10 trees. Day after day he was bringing fewer and fewer trees.
“I must be losing my strength”, the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on.
“When was the last time you sharpened your axe?” the boss asked.
“Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees…”
Reflection:
Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy and caught up with our daily routine that we don’t take time to sharpen our “axe”. In today’s society, it seems that everyone is busier than ever, but less happy than ever.
Why is that so? Have we forgotten how to “relax”? There is nothing wrong with activity and hard work. But we should not let it come between the truly important things in our life, like giving more time for our family, constantly upgrading our skills etc..
We all need time to relax, to think, to learn and grow. If we don’t take the time to sharpen our “axe”, we will become dull and lose our effectiveness.
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