Once a giant ship engine had failed,
The ship's owners tried one expert after another, but none of them
could figure 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 anythi!
ng!" 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.
Subject: Effort is important but.... 
Mon Aug 31, 2009 11:43 pm