First a quote: “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe .” – Abraham Lincoln
Hello and happy Monday.
Luckily, I haven’t had to chop down too many trees in my life; maybe as a boy scout many years ago… just enough to know it’s a lot of work. And, enough to appreciate the importance of preparing your tools in advance.
Metaphorically speaking, most of us spend way too much time “chopping down trees with dull axes” in many important aspects of our lives.
It has been my observation that most of us are working far harder than we need to be. If you have ever tried chopping down a tree with a dull axe, you know what I’m talking about. Yet oddly enough, many of us approach work, life, and our careers, with “dull axes,” again, metaphorically speaking.
This principle applies to many aspects of life.
I remember learning how to downhill ski as an example. The first few times I tried to ski down a mountain slope as a rookie, I was exhausted after not even going a hundred yards. Besides falling on my face every ten yards, every muscle in my body was fighting against the natural pull of gravity. I remember my muscles were burning, and my body ached all over. It was a lot of work and not much fun.
With a few lessons, and much practice, skiing gradually became easier and it was a whole lot more enjoyable to simply glide down the hill with ease and grace. (Okay, the truth is, not many people would use grace as an adjective when describing how I ski. 😊)
With practice and enhanced skills, skiing went from being stressful and hard work to a source of pure pleasure for me and countless others.
This same thing could be said for any task requiring skills which don’t come naturally to us. Think delegation skills for new managers, or coaching skills, conflict resolution, mentoring, or strategic thinking just to name a few. How about sales, time management, and public speaking? You get the point.
Abraham Lincoln was correct; we need to spend more time “sharpening our axes” and less time working ineffectively with skills and abilities that have become “dull” from neglect and/or overuse.
“People who cannot find time for recreation are obliged sooner or later to find time for illness.” – John Wanamaker
I find it odd that most of us won’t take the time to sharpen our skill sets but have no problem wasting countless hours working ineffectively and inefficiently.
Many of us are too busy being busy.
We simply don’t invest the time to sharpen our skill sets. And most of us are paying a steep price for that decision.
When was the last time you intentionally “sharpened your axe” and upgraded your skills and abilities?
The options for putting a sharper edge on your skills and abilities are almost unlimited. Here is a short sample list for your consideration:
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Reading books, articles, or industry-specific trade journals on topics of interest to you.
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Attending a class, seminar, or conference.
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Listening to a weekly blog, YouTube video, or Ted Talk.
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Reading Business Week, the Wall Street Journal or occasional HBR article.
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Taking a much-needed vacation to recharge, refocus, and reboot.
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Starting a*“brown-bag-lunch”* club at work and invite subject matter experts to speak.
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Thinking more strategically about your business processes and procedures.
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Taking a day off to think, refresh, and re-energize.
Stop working harder than needed! Take time to “sharpen your axe today.”
Why not take an inventory of where you might be able to use an upgrade in your skills and abilities? What is slowing you down and getting in your way of gliding down the slopes with ease and grace?
I’m striving to “walk my talk.” Becky and I will be taking several weeks of vacation over the next couple of months to relax, recharge, enjoy time with friends, and to “sharpen our axes.” It is likely I won’t be publishing weekly over the next couple of months, but I will keep you posted.
How will you live, love, or lead, differently, or better, this week?
Sincerely,
Bryan Yager
“Expanding Your Capacity for Success”
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Bonus Quotes:
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“The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.” –Sydney Harris
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“Slow down and everything you are chasing will come around and catch you.” – John De Paola
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“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” – Amit Ray
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“A calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence, so that’s very important for good health.” – Dalai Lama
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“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” – William Penn
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“If you are losing your leisure, look out; you may be losing your soul.” – Logan P. Smith
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“Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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“Most people chase success at work, thinking that will make them happy. The truth is that happiness at work will make you successful.” — Alexander Kjerulf
