There is this traveler passing through a town and sees three men, each laying bricks, same tools, same wall. But something about them feels different. The traveler stops and asks the first man; “What are you doing?” The man doesn’t even look up, just wipes the sweat from his brow and grumbles, “I’m laying bricks, trying to get through the day.” The traveler nods and moves down to the second man, same question; “What are you doing?” This guy straightens up, wipes the dust off his hands and says, “I’m building a wall. It’s strong, it’ll stand a long time.” The traveler nods again, then he reaches the third man, same bricks, same sun beating down, but there’s a light in his eyes, a purpose in how he moves. The traveler asks, “And you? What are you doing?” The man pauses, smiles, and looks up at the sky. “I’m building a cathedral.”

They all have the same task, same setting, but three completely different perspectives. One man is just surviving, the next sees a job with some meaning, but that last man, he sees the big picture. He knows that every brick he lays is part of something sacred, something that will outlast him. He’s not just working; he’s creating a legacy. Whatever it is you do, your job, your parenting, your passion, your service, it’s not just about the task, it’s about how you see it. Because when you believe your work has purpose, when you understand it’s part of something greater, you stop counting hours and you start building cathedrals. What are you building?

“Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.”
-John F. Kennedy

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
-Winston Churchill

“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”
-Pablo Picasso