large blocks of granite. When asked what they were doing, the first fellow
said, “I’m making bricks.” The second said, “I’m creating a foundation for
a large building.” The third person answered, “I’m building a cathedral.”
They are doing the exact same job, and all three responses were accurate,
but they reveal the huge difference attitude makes. It’s the difference
between tolerating or enjoying one’s life, between thinking small or large.
Mindset matters.
Just like the stone cutters, most of us have a habitual or characteristic
mental attitude that determines how we experience and interpret situations.
It’s pretty clear that the fellow who saw himself playing an important role
in building a grand cathedral is much more likely to feel good about his
work and his life than the guy who defines his job as making bricks.
A bookkeeper for a school may think of herself as someone who just works
with numbers or as part of an enterprise that educates children. A math
teacher can characterize himself as someone who teaches long division,
someone who seeks to make all math interesting and understandable, someone
who teaches students how to learn difficult concepts, or, larger yet,
someone who helps young people develop attitudes and skills that will help
them lead worthy and successful lives.
What do you do?
Don’t minimize yourself by just describing the tasks you perform; think
big. There is no job that can’t be meaningful and gratifying, if not
because of how it fits into a larger picture of producing human happiness,
then at least in terms of the gratification you can feel simply from a job
well done.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
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