Sharpening the Axe

Imagine you are observing a logger working tirelessly in the forest. After many hours already spent felling trees, the logger is hacking away at yet another large tree, sweating and cursing as he strikes blow after blow with his axe. After a few moments of watching the relatively ineffective hacks, you notice only minimal progress and suggest, “Why don’t you take a break and sharpen your axe?” The logger briefly pauses, wipes the sweat off his brow as he rolls his eyes and responds with, “I don’t have time to sharpen the axe, look at all these trees I still have to cut down!!!”

It is obvious to you as an observer that the most efficient thing for the logger to do would be spend a few moments sharpening the axe, thus reducing the time spent cutting down the rest of the trees. Investing that time and effort in the sharpening process would actually save time and energy in the long run. However, the logger is so wrapped up in the process that this “big picture” truth is lost on him and he … ahem … misses the forest for the trees.

How often are we the logger in the story though? We get so caught up in the moment, we miss the greater process. You are the axe in the story. Between work, stress and busyness of life, you become dulled over time and it is essential you take the time to be sharpened. That could be education, training, and many other forms of self-development or it could simply be finding time to rest and recharge. Go sharpen your axe!

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