The Tale of Two Lumberjacks #

Two lumberjacks entered a tree-cutting competition. The younger one—strong, confident—worked non-stop from dawn till dusk. No breaks, just pure grit and sweat. The older lumberjack took a break. Hour after hour, on the hour—a break.

The young man watched in disbelief. Why waste time resting when there's work to be done?

When the final tally came in, the older lumberjack had cut significantly more trees. Impossible.

“How did you beat me when I saw you sitting down every hour?” the bewildered young man asked. The older lumberjack smiled. “Sometime you have to sit down and sharpen the axe.”

Most people confuse motion with progress. They measure value by sweat, not results. They celebrate the grind while ignoring the outcome.

Take time to sharpen your axe.