Which is more important – a carpenter or his tools? Do the best tools make a great piece of furniture? Or is it the carpenter who made the best furniture regardless of tools?

Having the best tools does not guarantee the best workmanship. The carpenter’s skills and how he use his tools are just as important in determining the quality of output.

There was a carpenter in Chinese history named Lu Ban. His skills were so legendary that he is regarded as the demi-god for all carpenters till this day. Even then, the Chinese has two interesting idioms to reflect that a master’s skill is not all there is:

• Lousy wood material should never be carved;
• To accomplish great things, first get the best tools;

This led me to think that in order to get a great job done well, we need all 3 elements:

• master’s skill
• best tools
• fine material

Apply that in self-growth, we must first ensure we are of the finest material (our character), get the best tools (information and knowledge) and apply them with the skills of a master (our effort to better ourselves).