Category: Personal Growth

Improving your job (or life) satisfaction may in fact be easier than you think.

Consider the parable of 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 laying bricks 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 doubt I’ll finish this job in my lifetime. But it’s a job.” You thank him for his time and walk on.

About thirty feet away, you walk up to a second stonemason. Presented with the same question, “Do you like your job?” He looks up and replies, “Yes! I love this job. I’m building a cathedral. Sure, I’ve been doing this work as long as I can remember, and yes, sometimes it gets 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 there are few jobs more rewarding than building a cathedral!”

What is different about the jobs these two gentlemen have? Only one thing. The power of perspective.

Shift your mindset, change your life! Both stonemason’s are doing the exact same thing. One man sees a job and the other sees his calling.

The key to a life that matters is when we take everyday tasks and infuse them with meaning.  We may be laying bricks every day, but if we can envision the cathedral and move through our days with intention and passion, we can find more satisfaction in the mundane.

Finding your calling is like finding your why—the reason you exist, your purpose for living. When you do that, it changes everything.

John Maxwell