The Right Effort
19 Oct 2006
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 but 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 out 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.
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