At the monastery the young man must chop wood to burn for warmth, and carry water to drink. Displeased by the time the meaningless tasks take, he overfills his buckets and rushes to complete his chores. Fatigue and an absent mind lead to the young man dropping all of his water near his mentor. The young man then complains that he would be a master archer if he didn't have to chop wood, carry water. The mentor reminds the young man that he doesn't have to do anything. He gets to. The more we see a task as an obligation the greater a burden it becomes in our life.

You Don't Have To Do Anything. 

The plot of the book follows a young man pursuing his dream of becoming a samurai archer, by undergoing training from master archers in a monastery-like setting. Each chapter the young man is provided with a valuable lesson in the form of a parable from an old loving mentor. The following ideas are breif summaries of key helpful concepts.

General Plot

There once was an old architect who was known around the world for his skills at making high quality homes. At his retirement he was asked to build one last home. Frustration, disappointment and other negative emotions tainted his craft and the final house was built of low quality materials and a shaky foundation. The old architect is then gifted the house he built as a retirement gift. No matter what you are doing you are building your character, so pay attention to what you are building.

You Are Always Building Your Own House. 

How to maintain consistent effort to pursue goals, dreams, and ambitions.

Chop Wood Carry Water

How long do you have to water Bamboo before it sprouts? A week? No. A month? No. A year? No. 5 years? Maybe.But once it does sprout it can grow up to 10 feet in several days. Often growth happens beneath the surface and change isn't visable despite all the nurture being provided. Patience is key.

You Grow Like Bamboo

An old witch, nearing her retirement, is selling all of her tools. By the end of the day most of her tools are gone and the last shopper attempts to phurchase an old withered tool that everyone else overlooked. The witch informs the shopper that this tool was meant to be the only tool passed to her successor. The witch later reveals the tool is that of Discouragement. The witch teaches her successor that all people will become weak and easy to manipulate when robbed of their courage. No matter how painful the mistake do not allow yourself to become discouraged, or your dream will die.

The Witch's Most Dangerous Tool. 

Joshua Medcalf is an amazing author who takes psychologically sound concepts and presents them in easy to understand stories. This book greatly impacts my own motivation and career practice.

Guided by "Akira-sensei," John comes to realize the greatest adversity on his journey will be the challenge of defeating the man in the mirror. This powerful story of one boy's journey to achieve his life long goal of becoming a samurai warrior, brings the Train to be Clutch curriculum to life in a powerful and memorable way.

Chop Wood Carry Water

Similar ideas to Chop Wood Carry Water

4. Set Incremental Milestones

Overcome the tyranny of the present

Mental Contrasting Helps Us Achieve Our Dreams