The Bricklayer: 5 Steps to Building a Successful Career

Have you ever seen a bricklayer do their job? Initially, you can’t really tell what they’re building. The first brick is put in place. Just one. And then the second and so on. It appears so small and insignificant at first and then over time it becomes something, a fence, a wall, a house, a school, or even a building.

It rises to significance from a very humble beginning.

You can do the very same thing with your career. Start with the first brick, the very first step and build on it. It’s one small step for you, one giant step for your career. 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 makes it sound quite simple but it is simple. The problem is that it seems difficult usually because you might have skipped an often overlooked portion of the process, which also happens to be the most critical part: The planning stages.

A bricklayer wouldn't haphazardly put that first brick in place using crazy glue would they? No, they start their project only after some very thorough stages of planning and preparation are complete.

What would you need to do in order to make bricklaying a piece of cake?

1. The Right Materials: You would need the right materials and the right amount of those materials for the job. Stuff like 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.

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.

Can you imagine trying to build something without being fully prepared? Whatever you built would end up incomplete, incorrect or a pretty dangerous. It would also be costly, frustrating and discouraging. Are you going into your chosen career unprepared? If what you're doing is costly, frustrating and discouraging, then that might be a hint that the answer is yes.

If you would like an example as to how easy it would be to succeed with the right plans and tools, try putting together a Lego set. It’s simple, as long as you follow the directions.

What can you do right now to improve your career or your life? What's the first step you need to take? What's the first brick that you can put in place to start building your career?

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!