Many people see a brick wall as an obstacle, when it’s really a how to for success. You build both one brick at a time. ~ Rob Liano
Remember the old brick school houses from our childhood? As children, they looked overwhelming to our wide open, little eyes, and probably brought some mixed feelings with it. Excitement, fear, insecurities, wonder.
Have you ever wondered how such a structure is built? It’s interesting when you consider exactly how a bricklayer does their job.
Watching the process from the beginning, initially you can’t really tell what they’re building. The first brick is put in place. Just one. Then a second one, and so on, through to its completion. It seems so small and insignificant at first, but over time it becomes something substantial; a wall, a factory, a house, a school, a bridge, or even a series of buildings.
It rises from very humble beginnings, to significance. You can do the very same thing with your life and career.
In the beginning . . .
Start with the first brick, the very first step that you need to take, then build on it. You can build a life’s work, one brick at a time.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.
~Chinese proverb
I know this might sound oversimplified, but it truly is that easy. It only seems difficult because you might have skipped an oft-overlooked portion of the process, which also happens to be the most critical part: the first step should be the planning stage.
Would a bricklayer just haphazardly put that first brick in some random place? Of course not. Only after some very thorough planning and preparation do they begin. Otherwise, how would they succeed at all?
Step by step
What would you need in order to make bricklaying a piece of cake?
1. The Right Materials: You must have the right materials and approximately the right amount of those materials to complete the job. For bricklaying that includes bricks, cement and sand.
2. The Right Tools: You’ve heard the expression “the right tool for the job” haven’t you? Bricklaying tools include a mixer, wall ties, a bricklaying trowel, a spacing rule, and a level.
3. The Right Plans: Let’s face it, without the right plans you just won’t be very successful.
4. Training: I’m pretty sure that you would need a professional or some kind of mentor to teach you exactly what to do until you can do it right on your own. And that takes . . .
5. Practice: After getting everything else in place, the act of doing it over and over again until you master it is essential to your success.
These are the very same steps it will take you to succeed in your life. What materials, tools, plans, training and practice do you need to succeed?
Avoid the rubble, Barney
Can you imagine trying to build something without plans, using the wrong tools, or without being fully prepared? Haven’t many people used something else to bang in a nail when they couldn’t find a hammer? Any task becomes much more difficult when you aren’t fully prepared.
Not only that, but whatever you built could end up incomplete, incorrect, or even pretty dangerous and unstable. It could also be costly, frustrating and discouraging.
Are you going into your chosen career unprepared? If what you’re doing is costly, frustrating, and discouraging, that might be a hint that you haven’t prepared properly, or that something in your plan might need revising.
As an example of how easy it is to succeed with the right plans and materials, try putting together a Lego set. It’s so simple a child can do it, as long as they follow the instructions.
To begin building your career, ask yourself these questions:
- What is the very first brick that I can put in place to start building my career now?
- What are the additional, necessary steps I should take after that?
- What do I need to acquire, learn, practice or implement to reach my goal?
Choose the right tools and materials, plan the steps, keep learning, and take action. And don’t stop until your dream, or your dream home, is built!
As Mark Twain said . . .
The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.
Start on the first brick today. It’s one small step for you, one giant leap for your career and life.
Rob Liano
Rock Star Success Coach & Sales Strategist
www.rockstarsalestraining.com
www.robliano.com
1.855.832.ROCK (7625)
✪ Best Selling Author ✪ Coach ✪ Speaker ✪ 