The Archer Initiative

Abraham Lincoln once said, "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."

He's right. I know from experience. Many years ago, I went through some survival training. Fire and shelter being a necessary part of survival, gathering wood and chopping down trees were required actions.

To be efficient and productive in gathering wood, we were taught how to sharpen our axe. We were taught that an axe is sharped to a 45-degree angle. If an axe is sharped at an angle less than 45 degrees (similar to a knife), it will chop the wood with ease. However, the axe will dull too fast, and the chopping will become inefficient. The level of effort will begin easy and increase exponentially. When sharpened at a 45-degree angle, the axe's edge will hold its sharpness longer and the level of effort will remain steady until the tree is chopped down.

Life lesson I learned from sharpening an axe is that after planning for action, considering the level of effort and accepting that a steady level of effort is more effective than an easy level of effort produces better in the long term. Accepting that all good things come to those who are willing to put in the work in the end.

Starting every day with a completed task sets you in motion for a productive day.

Admiral McRaven's Life Lesson #1: Make Your Bed Full speech here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaQZFhrW0fUNaval Adm. William H. McRaven, B.J. '77, ninth commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, Tex...