Diligently - little by little

Have you heard the story of the stone-cutter? Goes like this:

A stonecutter hits a rock with his hammer. The stone splits. The casual observer sees this and thinks, “Wow. That guy is really strong. I can’t believe he broke that huge rock with a single blow!”

The reality (obviously) is that the stonecutter didn’t break it in a single blow—he’d been hammering away at that rock for a long time. Many, many blows went into the rock before it finally split. Most people see someone who has achieved some level of success--whether it’s enlightenment or celebrity status or financial wealth--and think, “Wow, they sure must be lucky.”

Obviously, the stone-cutter isn’t strong enough to break a rock in one blow and no one is “lucky” enough to reach any level of excellence without an equally diligent and consistent effort.

So, hit the rock.

Again. And again. And again.

You will break the rock.

(Oh, and btw, quick FYI: once you’re done with that rock get ready to start swinging at the next one. :)

“Make your mind pure as a silversmith blows away the impurities of silver, little by little, instant by instant.”