Sharpen Your Axe....
Peter Lomax
With over 100+ builders and land agents, ensuring we have the latest releases. We focus on positive geared properties, no hidden costs and no charge for our services to provide a personalised home building experience.
Have you ever found yourself at the end of the day or at the end of your week feeling flat from working your guts out from long hours and complications from circumstances out of your control?...I'd be surprised if you didn't relate to this moment in some form or another in your working life. We have all been there at some point in time or experiencing it right now.
It reminds me of a story told to me when I was in business as a new business owner by my mentor, my Father...
He shared a story about a young strapping lad ready to take on the world and break all records known in his industry. He felt invincible, he was indestructible and his self belief was bullet proof.
The word had spread around the cutter's gang that this new kid was coming into the forest and was going to smash all the records for cutting down trees....The young cutters where in awe of the stories, the middle age cutters where sceptical and the old boys casually leaned on there haunches slowly lighting their pipes of tobacco and said " We'll see!!!"...with a dismissive puff of smoke into the wind.
The young cutter arrived for his first day and went to work with the gusto of 10 men as the young cutters watched, eyes open and mouths agape. This young lad was the real deal as he dropped one tree after the other, not stopping for a break and worked long into the early evening before the shift horn blew it's whistle to announce the end of the day's toil.
The gang leader counted the felled trees for the day.....26 trees in one day was a mighty and impressive effort, only 1 short of the all time record held for the last 10 years.
"Bad luck son"...said the gang leader "Maybe tomorrow ah?"...
Being so close to the record the young cutter knew he was going to break the record the next day as he felt like he was just warming up and the records will be his.
The next day the same again. Took his axe to the trees like a man possessed without taking a break and when the whistle blew to end the shift he hunched over his axe in complete exhaustion as he has surely broken the record held for so long.
The gang manger counted up the felled trees....24 TREES!!! He bellowed for everyone to hear....."24 trees!!!" the exhausted young cutter yelled....."Tomorrow the record will be mine!" he yelled.
The next day the same again except he felled 23 trees and the day after and the day after and the day after until he could cut no more. His hands where bloodied, his neck and shoulder's burned with pain and his back felt 20 score his age as it creaked like an old man to stretch.
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"I can't believe I can't break the record" said the young cutter to the old man of the cutter's gang as they slow walked back exhausted to the camp site.
The old man had been watching the young cutter each day and each day he would light his pipe and smirk after a puff mumbling a few words under his breath.
It got the better of the young cutter and he said "Old Man!...Everyday you have smirked at me and muttered under your breath!"...."pray tell please share what mutterings you have kept to yourself."
The old man slowly lifted his head to look the young cutter in the eye and said "Sharpen Your Axe".....then turned and walked away mumbling and giggling to himself.
The young cutter was frozen by these 3 simple words of action - Sharpen Your Axe -
In business and in life we forget to "Sharpen Our Axe"....How many times do we keep working hard, making sacrifices and feel like we just can't get ahead or to the next stage.
Maybe we need to take a moment to reassess, take stock and sharpen our axe?
Who do you know who has the tools and the proven strategies to assist you sharpen your axe in any area of your life?....If you do have someone, please reach out to them. Invest the time. You will thank yourself for it.
Have a wonderful day