Do You Have a Plan?

A quote often attributed to Abraham Lincoln goes," Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."  Take a moment to think about what is being said here...

Very often we attack a challenge without a plan and we end up spending countless hours hacking away with little to no progress made. Imagine if, before taking something on, we were to stop and consider the approach and develop a clear and concise roadmap for our activity.  Mr. Lincoln understood that hacking away at a tree for 6 hours with a dull axe would result in a great deal of expended energy and the tree still might not fall in the end.  He knew that a well prepared axe would allow him to spend his time productively and the end result would be the completion of the task at hand.  Remember that activity does not always mean productivity.

As you move forward with this new year, ask yourself these questions:  Do I have a clear and concise roadmap of where I want to go and what I want to achieve?  Have I properly prepared myself for the challenges ahead or am I simply hacking away at the tree with a dull blade?  The proper amount of time invested in the preparation for the task at hand will not only make the work involved less daunting, it will also help to insure that your goal will be achieved!

Written by my Awesome Leader & Mentor: Mr. Brad Hager