Stay Sharp

Stay Sharp Once upon a time a very strong woodcutter asked for a job in a timber merchant, and he got it. The pay was really good and so were the work conditions. For that reason,the woodcutter was determined to do his best. His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he was supposed to work. The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees. "Congratulations," the boss said. "keep up the great work" Very motivated by the boss's words, the woodcutter tried even harder the next day, but he could only bring 15 trees. The third day he tried even harder, but he could only bring 10 trees. Day after day he was bringing less and less trees. "I must be losing my strength", the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on. "When was the last time you sharpened your axe?" the boss asked. "Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees." My Message When was the last time you sharpened your axe, when was the last time you let go and really stopped? In today's world, it seems that everyone is busier than ever, but a whole lot less happier. Could it be that we have forgotten how to stay "sharp"? There's nothing wrong with activity and hard work. But we should not get so busy that we neglect the truly important things in life, like our personal life, taking time to get close to our Creator, giving more time for our family, taking time to read and paying attention to people's needs. We all need time to relax, to think and meditate, to learn and grow. If we don't take time to sharpen the "axe", we will become dull and lose our effectiveness. So as we move into 2012 start to think about the ways in which you could do your job more effectively and add a lot of value to it. May you have an awesome week! If you holidaying please be safe and return sharp and ready to make a difference. Darren Zwiers   The Quote: Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. - Abraham Lincoln