A story is told of a man who visits a building site...

A story is told of a man who visits a building site. He sees three people busily working away. Curious as to what they are working on, he approaches the first person and asks, “What are you doing?”

The first man looks up and answers, “I am building a wall”.

The visitor nods and moves on. He finds the second person; a woman toiling at the corner of what looks like a large wall. He asks her the same question.

She responds, “I am building a church”.

Finally, he spots the last person working on a similar-looking section on the same building site and once again asks, “What are you doing?”

He responds, “I am building the house of God”.

Profound.

Three people, same site, working on the exact same building. Fundamentally though, they have three very different comprehensions of the work they are doing. The first only sees a literal meaning in his work. He is not contributing to something bigger than himself. He doesn’t see his colleagues working side by side him building something monumental. Where his work stops is where his interest and vision for the project ceases.

A lot of people are like this. They say “I’m a teacher” and neglect to emphasise “I’m building the next generation”.

“I’m a paralegal” but forget that they deliver justice.

They say, “I’m a real estate agent” rather than “I connect people to a place they can call home”

This 'building wall mentality' is a limited mentality. 9 to 5. Clock in, clock out. Go home.

From the janitor to the CEO, your work can matter but it’s up to you see that for yourself.

The first man failed to see the impact of what his work was doing.

The second person sees the functional reason for her work; she is building a church. Nice. She understands the bigger picture of things even though she’s only working on a wall. She will be building a place of worship. Now, will she be building this church alone? No. She has colleagues, other specialists who will be enlisted for the roof, the plumping, the electrics etc. But she recognises the end goal and the crucial part she plays in it.

This is a good mentality to have; to understand the end goal and know what you’re contributing to. It's understanding the impact of your work and the “why” behind it. It’s knowing what you do, why you started and why it matters.

But the third man? He blows me out of the water. His work mindset is incredibly rare but is the kind that is revolutionary. This man, although he is just working in a wall, sees his work as transcending humanity itself. Now that’s big picture thinking.

You see, a church at the end of the day is a building; bricks and mortar that make up a place where people come together to sing, read, talk every week.

A church building without a Deity to worship is just a building. But if it’s for a higher power, a higher purpose, a higher meaning…then the whole game changes. Then the project you’re working suddenly becomes bigger than yourself.

This third guy…he sees the whole picture. His work doesn’t end with him, it reverberates out and is bigger than himself. The aim for work is just that - to find work that goes on to influence bigger things, transcend generations and have lasting impact. That kind of work matters.

What does this mean for your career? Even the most mundane tasks, when seen with the bigger picture in mind, can have meaning.

Don’t get me wrong, that boring and tedious admin you have to do is still boring and tedious admin. But what does it feed into? What problem does it help solve? What is the final impact of what you do? Take a hard look and force yourself to see beyond “I’m only here so the company makes more money”.

Reconnecting with your “why” and understanding that bigger picture gives a bigger sense of purpose and drive. It helps you to dig deep and keep going when you’re tired, when you want to give up, when your colleagues are irritating you and your boss has turned into Cruella Devil. Purpose is everything.?

What is your why?

Ralph Lauren famously said, "I don't design clothes. I design dreams." On the surface, this doesn't make sense. Does he not produce garments that are sold online and brick-and-mortar stores?

Why, yes. But Lauren is hinting at his bigger-picture thinking here. He is insinuating the “why” behind his “what”. Yes, he makes garments that help people be warm, stay cool, cover up etc. but not just for the sake of it. Ultimately, he creates clothes that will help people transform into who they want to be, to project the confidence, beauty, elegance, energy and courage that they can’t without clothes. He sees himself as helping them be better versions of themselves - literally fulfilling dreams.

And what about you? What is it that you do? And what is your why? Think about it carefully and deeply. Most people can easily describe what they do, but not so clearly why.

“It doesn’t interest me? what you do for a living.?I want to know? what you ache for? and if you dare to dream ?of meeting your heart’s longing.”

—The Invitation by Oriah