“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” Abraham Lincoln
Have you ever felt like you are just hitting your head against the wall?
Whether your problem is a slow computer or a frustrating relationship- you might just be using the wrong tool!
We use tools in everything we do: every relationship we are in, every project we partake in, and every thought we think. The tool may be our brain to calculate thoughts with, a car to get us somewhere in, a computer to do research with, a lawn mower to cut the grass with, a human emotion to express a feeling with, or pen to write a letter with. Tools are everywhere. Sometimes we just use the wrong ones. Don’t try futilely to hammer in a nail with a plastic kid’s hammer. Get yourself a BIGGER HAMMER!
It’s not far fetched to say that machines and tools used in the right capacity can typically outperform the human body. It’s not that the body isn’t fast or strong. It most certainly is. But, tools don’t get exhausted and have those pesty little things called pain sensors and feelings. Have you ever tried to run a race against someone riding a bike? If you haven’t tried, It’s sorta funny actually!
Let’s take a moment to visualize it: take two coordinated and trained individuals at comparable age, endurance, strength, and speed and let’s race them. One on foot – the other on a bike.
At first, it might even seem like the runner could have an initial advantage: Agile footing and quick off the block, one foot in-front of the next and away they go, in contrast to the first few potentially wobbly and unproductive rotations of a bike. If everything goes right, the runner could possibly get a few paces ahead of the biker; but, that advantage will most probably be quickly lost when the cyclist begins using the momentum built up by the machine/bicycle.
Give the two individuals a little true distance say 100 meters or so and see what happens. The truth is, an average paced runner has little long-term chance against a cyclist with productive high paced rotations of the peddles on a quality well-tuned bicycle resulting in a taut chain and smooth significant revolutions of properly inflated tires. Unless that runner happens to be Usain Bolt mentally focused on his 3rd gold metal in 9.80 seconds and that 100 meters is at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil– in that case, forget the bike, against him, you’re gonna need a motorcycle!
With the right tools difficult tasks can be easier–but the key to this statement is the RIGHT tools- Used in the correct capacity. I’m sure you’ve noticed that when you have the proper tools challenging things can be done more effectively and with less difficulty and frustration. 
It doesn’t matter if you are trying to scale an icy mountain ridge or ice a cupcake, the appropriate tools and techniques can make even formidable, problematic, and laborious things more manageable.
There is a whole slew of other things that assist us in our successes and execution of ventures including but not limited to: technique, training, skill, and sheer will power and determination. Determination in a project is of course important, but, I don’t care how determined you are- if you try to floss your teeth with a firehose instead of dental floss- your success rate is going to be diminished if you have the wrong tools. You’re dentist and hygienist will probably want to murder you too!
The idea is correct and proper use of the RIGHT TOOLS!
Think about the projects that you are involved in. Are you using the right tools? If you spend most of your time in a seemingly futile frustrated attempt to get the project done- maybe you need to spend less time getting frustrated and more time figuring out how to fix the problem. Money can always seem like a obstacle; but, if you calculate how much unproductive time you spent you might very well determine that a few dollars might be well spent to get a new “tool”.
Now, I also mentioned earlier that we might be using the wrong tools when it comes to personal relationships and social problems. Our goal with Climb With Integrity is to find balance. We are seeking the ability to find our inner voice that leads us to peace, forward progression towards happiness, internal satisfaction, and joy. The wrong “tool” that you might need to face and change mi
ght just be your own sheer stubbornness.
If the struggle you are facing is because you are trying to force a square peg into a round hole- maybe you don’t need a bigger hammer in this situation. Maybe you need to just put the hammer down. There are times in life when you take a deep breath and evaluate whether or not it is time to stop fighting for something that isn’t right for you. There are expiration dates to everything, including love interests, jobs, and friendships. Life itself has an expiration date. We each have a numbered amount of hours gifted to us. We can do wisely to eat well and take care of ourselves to extend our time as long as possible. But, the reality is that the sand in the hour glass does run out eventually. Cherish the time that you have everyday and spend it wisely. Be aware that the time you spend forcing something that isn’t designed for you could be spent on the things that ARE meant for you.
That voice way down deep inside of you has the answer. Trust your intuition. Challenge yourself to persist when your judgement calls for you to be determined…. but, also evaluate wisely when the battle is no longer yours to fight. Be strong, be smart, use your ingenuity, and resolve to do amazing things that will change the world. But, also know when it is time to walk away.
When it comes to figuring out what tool you need…. That voice inside of you… That’s the BIGGEST AND BEST Hammer you NEED to PICK! Trust yourself!
Love, Success, & Positive Energy
~Theresa
