Sharpen your Blades
Sharpen your Blades
Finding the time to take care of yourself
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
- Abraham Lincoln
Sharpen your Blades
Chasing Influence: Transformational Coaching to Build Champions for Life
Recently, I had a real-life moment of sharpening the blades. I noticed my trusty old lawnmower wasn’t cutting the grass like it used to. Upon further inspection, its blade had become duller than a cue ball. I was about to bring the mower blade into the shop to be sharpened before this week’s story jumped into my thoughts. I can most certainly take care of sharpening my blades! So, I did exactly that, saving money, time, and gaining the satisfaction of a job well done.
This week’s story about keeping our blades sharp has many iterations told in many ways over time. This version comes from Chasing Influence.
Way up north, there once was a woodsman who went into the forest to harvest wood to sell. He was very strong, and on the first day in the woods, he felled 18 trees and brought them to the timber merchant.
“You are the best woodcutter around,” the merchant said and gave him his pay.
On the second day, the woodcutter went into the woods with great motivation to harvest even more trees. But by midday, he had only taken down eight trees. He worked through lunch and didn’t take any breaks. Still, he had only 15 trees to sell to the merchant at the end of the day.
“Well, you are still a strong woodsman. Here is your pay,” the merchant said.
On the third day, he began chopping at first light and continued through lunch and into dusk. He tried even harder than the first two days, yet he cut down only 12 trees. Day after day, he was bringing back fewer and fewer trees.
I must be losing my strength, the woodcutter thought. He apologized to the wood merchant, saying he could not understand why he wasn’t more productive.
“When was the last time you sharpened your ax?” the merchant asked.
“Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my ax,” said the woodsman. “I put all my time into chopping down trees.”
Sharpening an ax is crucial because it makes cutting down trees more efficient and productive, leading to greater success in the long run. Just as it is important to take care of one’s tools, it is also important to take care of oneself. Taking breaks, living healthy, maintaining a positive attitude, and staying mentally sharp can help us work more effectively and achieve greater success.
Sometimes, we get so busy that we don’t take the time to sharpen our "ax." Which person are you today—the person chopping through the tree as hard as you can with a dull blade or the person who keeps the blade sharp and gets more done?
“Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.”
- Stephen Covey
Connecting this quote to the story. The woodcutter initially focused on cutting down as many trees as possible without sharpening his ax or taking care of himself. By doing so, he gradually became less productive and efficient, bringing back fewer and fewer trees. To succeed in the long run, we must prioritize what is important, not just what is urgent.
This week’s Chasing Influence tip: You can either grind it dull or grind it sharp, choose wisely.
If you enjoyed this story, a series of three Chasing Influence workbooks is available. Stories are accompanied by discussion questions and answers. Each workbook contains 33 lessons to use with any team.
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©Troy Urdahl, 2024