Once upon a time, a young chef was hired to work at a high-end restaurant. The job was entry level, prepping vegetables, but it was the first step in his chosen career and he was determined to do his best.

The first day, he gracefully sliced up ten catering pans of potatoes, all perfectly cut to the same size and shape.

“Excellent work!” the sous chef said as he passed the pans to the saucier.

On the second day, he jumped into work as he had the day before, but he only cut nine pans of potatoes.

Determined to make up for the slower second day on the job, he tried to outdo himself on the third day, but he somehow sliced up only seven pans of potatoes.

He stopped by the sous chef’s station on his way out and apologized and honestly claimed he did not understand what was going on.

“When was the last time you sharpened your knives?” the older chef asked.

“Sharpen?” the young man asked.

“I had no time to hone my knives. I have been too busy trying to cut potatoes.”

The moral of the story: Sometimes working hard alone is not enough to achieve success. You have to work smarter, too!