tapping with a hammer

I was reading thru blogs in friendster when I came across this one. It was written by lookkhoon, my senior. And I think this is really really important for us because many of us doesn't know where to make an effort in our lives. We often waste our efforts in tiny, useless stuffs where else we should be placing them at where it's most important. OK. Get over the nonsence and this is how it goes.

Ever heard the story of the giant ship engine that failed? The ship’s owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure out how to fix the engine. Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was a youngster. He carried a large bag of tools with him, and when he arrived, he immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully, top to bottom. Two of the ship’s owners were there, watching this man, hoping he would know what to do. After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled put a small hammer. He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life. He carefully put his hammer away. The engine was fixed! A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for ten thousand dollars.

“What?!” the owners exclaimed. “He hardly did anything!”
So they wrote the old man a note saying, “Please send us an itemized bill.”

The man sent a bill that read:
Tapping with a hammer …………………… $ 2.00
Knowing where to tap ……………………… $ 9998.00

Effort is important, but knowing where to make an effort in your life makes all the difference.

.effortOut