If you have an understanding of Forestry you'd know that cutting a fallen tree into bits before technology was a thing tools like cutlasses and axes were made for.
Knowing how to use the axe is what results to sticks. Unless you know how to pin the axe into a wood you'd very much be like a child who plays with a toy bigger than him. Application of this unto businesses is one line of action which guarantees success.
Let's see it this way; our business or idea are just like the trees. With our saws i.e capital, we take it to the ground then with our axes we cut the tree into bits. This axe as seen here is one of the most important (if not the most important) tool to help convey our sticks to the audience that desire it.
Our axe here is our approach towards making work yield result. For a footballer, his axe would be consistent exercises and quantitative rest. A business tycoon's might be studying the stock market. Whatever it is for you, one thing that would yield great result is your mastery of it. You can only be a boss over a worker you can pay by cash or kind.
I remember taking up a digital marketing job; it turned out disastrous cos' I went into that job using head knowledge. I thought I could do it cos' it seemed so easy. However, few weeks into it, I was out of ideas; I didn't have an axe, speak less the mastery of it. Acquisition of skills to help you excel in a business is highly recommended as consistent failure only weighs you down and destroys your resolve to gain success.
By acquisition, I mean; through reading books, taking online classes, and being a dedicated mentee to a successful practitioner in your field. Upon acquisition of this skill, you have an axe! What remains is the mastery of it. No matter the amount and quality of theory you get, you'd never get the results you desire unless you practice it. This goes on to say that mastery of your 'axe' would not grow overnight, rather consistent use of it would yield great results.
Houses, paper, and furnitures are great testimonies to what an axe in the right hands can result to. It is however beneficial to note that mastery goes on to say that you are to first be a master.
If I think about a cut-down tree I think about all the poison and water back in the air and firewood. We do not build houses out of wood, the paper is made of old cloth or recycled paper (I can tell you that factory smells) and only some furniture is still made of real wood (how the world changed).
I know how to use an axe (literally) and there are different axes for different jobs. I can use saws too.
"It is however beneficial to note that mastery goes on to say that you are to first be a master." This line I don't understand. I doubt I can ever say I am the first master. There are simply too many people in this world. I do not care about being the first either. What I care about is I am good at what I am doing and above all, I like what I am doing. If you like it you will be good at it and filled with energy and send this positive energy to others. Next to the tool, I think what one needs most is creativity, strong will, and self-esteem. There are plenty of successful people no one believed in, no school accepted which made it on their own. Too many educations do not educate but force a certain thought or "skill" upon people and take all the creativity, own ideas away.
Like we say every dog you can teach a trick but it doesn't make him an acrobat.
Thanks for the good read.