SHARPENING THE AXE

by Dwight Edwards

“If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but wisdom brings success.”   Solomon - king of Israel

The story is told of an old woodsman who was working together with several younger, stronger woodsmen. One day around lunch one of the young men said, “Old man, I bet you were something in your day. Too bad you ain’t got it anymore.” To everyone’s amazement the elder challenged the younger to a tree cutting contest the next day. The young man gladly accepted the challenge, believing there was no way he could possibly lose to the old woodsman.

The next day the two of them began early in the morning chopping away furiously. The woodsmen noticed an interesting thing though about the older man. About every two hours he would go off and take a ten-minute break. At the end of the day the elder woodsman had cut down substantially more trees than the younger. Everyone was completely amazed, not knowing how this could happen. Finally, one of the men asked the old woodsman why he took so many short breaks and what he did during them. With a twinkle in his eye he replied, “The most important thing I could. Sharpening my axe.” Therein lay the secret of his success. He not only worked hard, but most of all - he worked smart. He made sure he was not swinging with a blunted blade.

Beware of the danger of blunted diligence. This is energy that is expended without really making a difference. Alfred Montapert put it so well, “Do not confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress.” Activity and accomplishment are two very different things. Exhaustion can be the result of great productivity or well-intentioned but misdirected strivings. Hard work is essential for success in any field, but its sweat must drip along the best lines to gain maximum benefit. And often the best paths for peak performance are not the widest or most visible. This is why we all need to take time out frequently to sharpen our mental axe. As Solomon put it in the book of Ecclesiastes, “If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but wisdom brings success.”

Flashpoint: Take time to sharpen your mental axe.