Building a Cathedral

 

“It’s a constant, continuous, spectacular world we live in, and every day

 you see things that just knock you out if you pay attention.”

Robert Irwin

American Artist

 

We all see our work differently. Several people can have the same job and yet see their work from a very different perspective. There is an old story that you most likely have heard before about three bricklayers. The first was asked what he was doing. “I am building a wall,” he answered. The second was asked the same question. “I am building a church,” he said. The third mad was also asked what he was doing. “I am building a cathedral,” he proudly stated.

 

Here is the difference. All three men were doing the same work; it was a job to the first man, nothing more. To the second, it was his career. He took pride in his work and intended to do this for his life’s work. To the third man, however, this was a calling. He was not doing a job; he was part of something far more significant than himself. He knew this would last long after he was gone, and the quality of his work mattered.

 

Which of these three men do you think paid more attention to details. The third, of course. Why? Because it mattered to him. When we do things that matter, we work hard to do them well. Our work, our attention to detail speaks about us and who we are. The Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset (1883-1955) said, “Tell me to what you pay attention, and I will tell you who you are.”

 

Paying attention to details does not just happen on its own; we have to make it happen. It is a deliberate act on our part of the focus. Inventor Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) put it this way: “Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” Likewise, our creative abilities are not at their most potent until they are brought into focus.

 

In October 1886, the Statue of Liberty was dedicated in New York. The colossal statue created by sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904) was unlike anything seen before. Now fast forward to 1909 when Wilbur Wright flew his Wright Flyer around the statue. As he did, he made a remarkable discovery. Wilbur Wright noticed that the hair on top of Lady Liberty’s head was done in every detail.

 

Bartholdi did not know that someone would invent the flying machine one day and see the top of her head. So why did he bother to do all that work? Because Lady Liberty was his calling. Detail mattered to him, even if no one ever saw it for themselves.

 

Do you want to do something that will outlast you? Do you want to leave your mark on the world? See all you do as your calling. Pay attention to detail – no matter how small or if no one may ever see them by you. If you pay attention, you can do the most beautiful things. As educator Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) said, “Success in life is founded upon attention to the small things rather than to the large things; to the everyday things nearest to us rather than to the things that are remote and uncommon.”

 

You can learn more about Personal Development from the author and speaker, John Patrick Hickey. To get his books, training material, or book him to speak to your church, business, or group, visit our website at www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   

© 2021 John Patrick Hickey. No part of this material may be reprinted or published without the written permission of the author.