There was an interesting post on the Freakonomics blog yesterday about a gentleman who arranges soda bottles in a very artsy (somewhat Mondrian, apparently) fashion. Go have a look, I’ll wait!
Lately, I’ve been talking to several people who seem to hate their jobs. When I saw this, I was reminded how a little bit of effort and enthusiasm can contribute to your happiness in even the most mundane/boring job.
I was also reminded of the following story that I mentioned in my comment on their site:
A gentleman saw three men laying bricks…
He approached the first and asked, “What are you doing?“
Annoyed, the first man answered, “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m laying bricks!“
He walked over to the second bricklayer and asked the same question.
The second man responded, “Oh, I’m making a living.“
He asked the third bricklayer the same question, “What are you doing?“
The third looked up, smiled and said, “I’m building a cathedral.“
Are you just laying bricks or building a cathedral?