It is a popular saying that ‘Practice makes a man perfect,’ but practice is often misunderstood as consistently doing hard work without any rest. This idea is completely wrong. Practice alone cannot lead to success. You need to take an interest in the subject in which you are practicing, and, moreover, take time to rest and ‘sharpen your axe.’
Once there was a woodcutter who was hired by one of his friends. He was very enthusiastic and cut 17 trees on the first day, 15 trees on the next, and 10 on the third day. He thought that he was losing his power and told his friend about his condition. His friend asked, ‘When did you last sharpen your axe?’ and he replied that he was busy cutting trees and didn’t sharpen his axe at all. Thus, the moral is that you should not lose your spirit even if, after consistent practice, you can’t understand something or are not able to do something—give it a break.
Practice is like a ladder (to success) – If you keep climbing the ladder, you get close to your destination, but if you keep on climbing the ladder without any thought or analysis, your hands will get bruised, and you will not be able to climb it with ease.
So, the moral of the story is that consistent practice is valuable, but it should be accompanied by periodic rest and reflection. Just as the woodcutter’s axe needed sharpening to regain its effectiveness, individuals need moments of rejuvenation and a fresh perspective to continue progressing effectively. The story emphasises the importance of not blindly persisting in efforts but rather taking breaks, reflecting, and maintaining a balanced approach to achieve success.
