Chop Wood, Carry Water

Apr 14, 2024

A few years back I read a powerful little book called Chop Wood, Carry Water, which focuses on a Zen proverb of the same name.

The full proverb goes something like:

“Before enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment; chop wood, carry water.”

While there are many ways to interpret this, it means two things to me:

First, that being present during everyday tasks brings peace (I use long walks to clear my head).

And second, to achieve anything great you have to repeat the same (often boring) tasks over and over…

But even after you’ve achieved your goal you STILL have to do those same tasks.

That first point is a good one for those of us that struggle with anxiety, stress and worry.

You don’t have to sit on a pillow with crossed legs to practice mindfulness and find peace… peace exists in the everyday monotonous tasks we do.

Walking, cleaning, driving, etc., are all great opportunities for mindfulness.

And the second point is a critical one for anyone who wants to achieve something great.

Whether it’s your dream body, your dream job, or learning a new hobby like drawing or surfing, it’s going to take A LOT of repetition.

For example, building your dream body takes hundreds of workouts…

But even after you achieve your goal the work doesn’t stop.

You still have to workout and eat right to maintain what you’ve accomplished.

And this is the same with every big goal… it takes a lot of work to get there, but the work definitely doesn’t stop once you’re there.

Now we could view this as a negative – “I have to keep doing the work forever!?”…

But I prefer the positive twist of – “I never have to stop working on the thing I love.”

Keep this saying — Chop Wood, Carry Water — in mind as you go through your journey.

Think of the Zen Buddhist from our proverb.

After a lifetime of work and meditation, a lifetime of chopping wood and carrying water, he finally reaches enlightenment…

He reaches the pinnacle of the meditative experience, and what does he do the next day?

He doesn’t retreat into the mountains. He doesn’t turn Hollywood and start doing speaking tours…

He wakes up, he meditates, he chops wood, and carries water.

There’s a lot we can learn from that.

Thanks for reading,

– Josh

Josh Almodovar