There is an old tale about a woodcutter. It is a short story but has a very powerful lesson about the secrets to more energy and better health.
The tale goes like this:
Once upon a time, a very strong woodcutter got a job in a timber merchant. The pay was really good and so was the work condition. For those reasons, the woodcutter was determined to do his best.
His boss gave him an ax and showed him the area where he supposed to work.
The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees.
“Congratulations,” the boss said. “ “Well done. Keep it up. You are our best wood-cutter yet!”
Very motivated by the boss 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 fewer and fewer 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 ax?” the boss asked.
“Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my ax. I have been very busy trying to cut trees…”
Reflection:
Isn't this how we also lose our strength, our vigor, our energy as we age?
We get so busy in life that we forget to 'sharpen our ax.'
We are busier than before but not happier or healthier. Why?
We have lost the vision of what is truly important in our life. We neglect our body, our health and then we complain about losing our energy and health.
Our body is our ax with which we make our living and also build our life. However, just by focusing on achieving more and more we lose the sight of the importance of our tool.
Not only we become less productive but the quality of our life and health also goes down.
Ab Lincoln , who was a skilled woodcutter before becoming president, once famously said:
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax.”
Moral of the story:
If we want to live a healthier, happier and more productive life then we must take time to 'sharpen our ax'.
It really does not take much to take care of our body and mind. What is required is mindfulness and discipline of a daily ritual.
Every hour that we spend sharpening our ax we will gain two hours in return of better quality time! No other investment gives us a 200% return on our capital !!
So how to 'sharpen our ax'?
There are many ways but it is crucial to start with small daily goals.
These are some simple but very powerful daily rituals.
Morning:
-Drink hot/warm water as soon as you wake up -Brush your teeth with your nondominant hand ( more on this in our future article) -Stretch or do yoga for 15-30 minutes -Be grateful -Meditate -Have a healthy breakfast
During the day:
- Get into the habit of taking five deep breaths every hour -Walk or stretch for 5 minutes every hour-especially if you have a sedentary job -Listen to a health or wellness related podcast while driving -Exercise -Eat healthy meals and snacks
Before going to bed :
-Reflect on your day ( daily journaling ) -Plan your next day -Read inspirational books or articles -Be grateful -Deep focused breathing for five minutes
-Sleep tight and have sweet dreams!
