Sharpen the Ax

Stephen R. Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, contains the story of two woodsmen.

One woodsman was a long, strong, strapping youth with big biceps and huge confidence.

The other was a weathered, wisened old man worn down by years of hard labor.

The young woodsman chopped aggressively all day long, hardly stopping to rest or eat.

The older man worked at a slower pace taking frequent rest breaks between trees.

At the end of the work day, the older man had cut twice as many trees as the younger.

Amazed and puzzled, the younger man asked how he could work so hard while the older man took frequent rests … and yet cut twice the number of trees.

The older man replied, “While I rested under the shade, I sharpened my ax.”

Are you furiously working away wearing yourself out, but using a dull ax? Maybe you need to take a break and sharpen the ax.

~Wayne

Less Driven

I think I’m becoming less driven. After a lifetime of people-pleasing driven-ness, I’m learning the important of balance, pacing and priorities.

It’s impossible to return every telephone call, read every magazine, respond to every e-mail, do Twitter, Facebook and Blogger.

You can’t serve on every board and attend every event you’re invited to.

I had a friend who went on an eight-week short-term mission trip. For two months she was out of range of cell phone and e-mail. She came back home to 3,000 e-mails. She did a “select all,” then hit “delete.”

In the weeks ahead, she didn’t hear from one singer person who complained she had not read or replied to their e-mails.

Be realistic is planning your schedule. Breathe between appointments. Not everything has to be done—at least not everything has to be done today.

Build a margin between appointments. Double the anticipated time for a project. It reduces your stress and allows you to make good on your commitments.

And, as Jesus said, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. All these other things will be added as well.”