Embrace bricklayer mentality to greatness

Hunt For Greatness
Milton Kamwendo

MY grandfather was a bricklayer. This explains why many members of my larger family perform this type of work today.

Most of my uncles ended up as bricklayers. It is in our family DNA to look at things brick by brick. How bricklayers go about their work is key to the journey of greatness.

The journey of building a career, an organisation or anything that matters requires a foundation that is laid with care. Each brick is a step forward. It is a lesson learned or a challenge overcome. It is an agile process. You are checking your levels, tracking your builder’s line and adjusting each brick as you put it in position.

The building process may be slow at times. It tests your resolve and commitment. Structures that are built with the bricklayer’s mentality are resilient and lasting. You build to last. Whatever you build becomes a monument of your dedication, desire and dreams. It speaks long after your time is done. Make yours a building culture.

Building is about making things happen. As you adopt this mindset, you realise that making things happen is not about mere grand gestures or immediate results.

Building is the cumulative effect of small, consistent actions.

One brick at a time is not complicated. It looks repetitive but it is progressive. It is what you do daily that determines what you become ultimately.

Building is compound effect in motion. Slowly but surely, what starts as a collection of individual bricks becomes a structure of significance. Bricklaying is a transformational process. Heaps of bricks, sand and cement are turned into something special, reflecting the vision, effort and care invested.

The bricklayer mentality applies beyond physical construction to all aspects of life. It is an encouragement to dream and do. Think and act.

Plan and carry out the plans. It is about having a desire, getting the required expertise and mobilising the resources.

It is about ensuring compliance yet letting creativity come into it. It is about turning thoughts into things. It is about building your dreams with intention, detailing and tracking progress.

Building requires attention to detail and commitment to quality.

In building, there are no corners to cut. Whatever corners you cut will always show up later. It is better to make corrections while you are laying bricks than trying to make them later.

Seemingly small adjustments will later show up in the building. In life, there are no shortcuts. Building is about following a process. You learn to do what must be done in a disciplined and methodical manner.

The bricklayer mentality teaches the value of each contribution, no matter how small it may seem.

A single brick might not appear important on its own, but each effort you make is integral to the larger structure you are building. This perspective helps you to appreciate the importance of the present.

Whatever you are doing right now is part of the building effort.

Every brick laid is a step closer to your ultimate goal. The next effort and step depend on the previous moves.

In embracing the bricklayer mentality, you learn to appreciate the journey itself. The process of building, with its ups and downs, becomes as meaningful as the final outcome.

It is not what you build that matters most but what gets built in you as you build — the lessons you learn, the resilience and adaptive capacity that you end up with. All are part of the building process.

This is crowned by the satisfaction you derive from seeing your efforts materialising. Brick by brick, you make progress as you go.

Bricklaying shows that great things are not achieved overnight but through steady, persistent effort. One step at a time is not too much to ask.

One brick at a time is not too much to ask. Start and proceed until you are done.

The bricklayer mentality is about more than just achieving goals or completing projects. Bricklaying, the brick-by-brick discipline, is a critical mindset.

It emphasises the importance of focus, discipline, patience, perseverance and meticulous effort. It encourages you to approach your ambitions and challenges with the mindset of a craftsman.  You deliberately focus on the quality and integrity of what you build.  By laying one brick at a time, with patient endurance and guidance from your architects, you can build things with lasting impact. Slowly but surely, you make things happen, building a legacy brick by brick.

The bricklayer mentality is a reminder of the power of patience, precision and perseverance. By focusing on laying one brick at a time, working methodically through a plan and embodying patient endurance, you achieve remarkable things. Seeking guidance from architects in your lives, those who have expertise and experience, can help you navigate challenges and refine your strategies.

The brick-by-brick concept is the key to greatness. Through it, projects are delivered and goals accomplished.

Committed to your greatness.

Milton Kamwendo is a leading international transformational and motivational speaker, author and an accomplished workshop facilitator. He is a cutting-edge strategy, team-building and organisation development facilitator and consultant. His life purpose is to inspire and promote greatness. He can be reached at: [email protected]