Hello Friday: The Story of a Woodcutter

Happy Friday 😊! The weekend is almost here. I hope you take some time this weekend to relax, refresh and recharge your batteries. So often we are reticent to slow down and really take time for some R & R. In fact, when we do we almost feel guilty, right? You know what I am talking about!

As I was doing some reading this week, I came across the Story of “The Woodcutter”that Stephen Covey shares in his book, Seven Habits of Highly Successful People. I am sure you are familiar with it, but I share it again below as a reminder to all of us about the importance of taking some time to rest our mind, body and spirt.

The Story of a Woodcutter:

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 working conditions. For those reasons, 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. “Go on that way!”

Very motivated by the bosses words, the woodcutter tried 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…”

Reflection:

Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy that we don’t take time to sharpen the “axe”. In today’s world, it seems that everyone is busier than ever, but less happy than ever.

Why is that? 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 closer to our Higher Power, giving more time for our family, taking time to read, etc.

We all need time to relax, think, meditate, and to learn and grow. If we don’t take the time to sharpen the “axe”, we will become dull and lose our effectiveness.

Author: Stephen Covey From: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Let this story be a reminder of the importance of taking time to rest, relax, connect with friends and family and enjoy some “down time”. I hope you take these “words of wisdom” to heart this weekend and “sharpen your axe”!

Have a great day and a great weekend!

#HelloFriday #inspiringstories #joy #family #friends #selfcare #selflove #relaxation #recharge #destress