Once there were three bricklayers busily working in the hot afternoon sun. When asked what they were doing, the first bricklayer answered gruffly “I’m laying bricks.” The second man replied, “I’m putting up a wall.” But the third bricklayer said enthusiastically and with obvious pride, “I am building a beautiful cathedral!”
~ Source Unknown

In our work-life, we certainly don’t want to be known as one who builds walls! Today’s business consultants may think they invented the idea of teamwork, but consider the level of cooperation it took to build cathedrals!

Jim Doran, director of a high school in Panama, explained things this way to graduating students: “The cathedrals of Europe were built at a time when life was very difficult. All but a privileged few were oppressed. Education for the masses was non-existent while disease and war ravaged the countryside. Yet, during this time of darkness the very people who were so oppressed built the most beautiful examples of religious architecture ever known. People came from hundreds of miles away to build a cathedral. Each person lent his or her skill and labor to a structure that few of them would see completed. Yet, they knew they were part of something that went beyond the boundaries of normal existence."

Most of us work because we have to, but we all need to feel that what we do for a living makes a difference. Whether you work to survive, to give your children more opportunity, or to invest for a comfortable retirement, know that you are making a valuable contribution every day you show up for work and do your best.

Consider the traditional gospel song, “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize.” Sung by North Carolina folk musician, Doc Watson, the lyrics echo a refrain from the Civil Rights era and encourage us to “hold on” and never loose sight of our goal- our higher purpose- whatever we perceive it to be. The song probably has particular meaning for Doc, whose blindness did not deter him from becoming one of the world’s most accomplished and best-loved folk musicians.

“Life has a way of bringing surprises and it is not easy to know which of these surprises are obstacles and which are opportunities,” contines Jim Doran. “The important thing is to use neither as an excuse for failure. The people who lived in the era we call the Dark Ages had every reason to settle for mere survival, but they built cathedrals.”

“Believe that your own hard work will be rewarded. Believe that you can make a difference. Believe that you can create a better world for the children who will follow you. And, above all, believe that your cathedral is about to be built.”