Wall Building or Cathedral Building

There’s a choice on how to look at a day of hard work.

 Consider the story of these two stonemasons: *

You walk up to the first stonemason and ask, “Do you like your job?” He looks up at you and replies, “I’ve been building this wall for as long as I can remember. The work is monotonous. I work in the scorching hot sun all day. The stones are heavy and lifting them day after day can be backbreaking. I’m not even sure if this project will be completed in my lifetime. But it’s a job. It pays the bills.”

About thirty feet away, you walk up to a second stonemason. You ask him the same question, “Do you like your job?” He looks up and replies, “I love my job. I’m building a cathedral. Sure, I’ve been working on this wall for as long as I can remember, and yes, the work is sometimes monotonous. I work in the scorching hot sun all day. The stones are heavy and lifting them day after day can be backbreaking. I’m not even sure if this project will be completed in my lifetime. But I’m building a cathedral.”

The two stonemasons are doing the exact same thing. How the view their work is noticeably different:

The first sees a job and a wall of bricks.

The second sees a purpose in his craft: Building a cathedral.

My first job in investment banking and my first couple years at Century felt like the first stonemason. They were jobs that paid the bills. They were jobs that I was acquiring some skills. I wasn’t sure where I was going but the bricks were stacking.

Over the past five years, my view of my work has become that of the second stonemason’s. It has happened through a lot of work on myself. It did not spontaneously happen.

My heart has grown. My appreciation of our very brief time on earth has been internalized. My awareness of the impact culture in an organization has on people’s personal lives has been galvanized.

I view my days at work more like I view my days at home now: “We’re all walking each other home.” – Rahm Dass

Regardless of “what” you and I are doing... we have a very real opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives.

Onward,

Matt

*Excerpt from Start With Why by Simon Sinek