March 27, 2023

"There's no substitute for hard work. If you work hard and prepare yourself, you might get beat, but you'll never lose." - Nancy Lieberman

There was an old woodcutter who impressed the king that he worked for. During the first month on the job, the woodcutter was able to cut 20 trees down. During the second month on the job, the woodcutter worked just as hard but was only able to cut down 18 trees. During the third month on the job, the woodcutter continued to work hard but was only able to cut down 15 trees. The king went to talk to the woodcutter about his decrease in productivity. The woodcutter didn’t have an answer for the king. He put in the same amount of effort, but just couldn’t keep up the results. The king asked the woodcutter, “when was the last time you sharpened your ax?” The woodcutter couldn’t recall. The king said, “There’s your problem. You are working hard, but you are not prepared for the work.” Hard work is great, but a piece that is so often forgotten is the preparation before we go out and do the work. Don’t get caught being unprepared, the key is not only to work hard but be ready for anything.