R.D. Bhardwaj
A giant ship engine failed. The ship’s owners tried one expert mechanic after another, but none of them could figure but how to fix the engine and start it.
Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was a young. He carried a large bag of tools with him, and when he arrived, he immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully, from top to bottom.
Two of the ship’s owners were there, watching this man, hoping he would certainly know what to do. After looking things over, the old man searched his bag and pulled out a small hammer. Then he gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life. He carefully put his hammer away. The engine was fixed and put to work !
A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for ten thousand dollars.
“What !” The owners exclaimed. “He hardly did anything !”
So they wrote to the old man a note saying, “Please send us an itemized bill.”
The man sent a bill , that read as under :-
Tapping with a hammer…… ……… …….. $ 2.00
Knowing where to tap………. …….. …… $ 9,998.00
Moral of the Story : Effort is important, but knowing where to make an effort makes and in the right measure all the difference !