Recently I met someone for coffee. Tim was a new
acquaintance and therefore one of his first questions of me was, "What do
you do?" A standard greeting when meeting someone for the first time.
I gave my standard response - "I'm a psychotherapist in private
practice. I facilitate workshops for corporations. And I promote my book -
Peace Begins With Me." Though I've given
this response hundreds of times this time my answer felt
hollow. Something didn't feel right, but I wasn't sure what I
was sensing at that moment.
A few days later I heard a story that had a profound impact on me. It's the story of a church official in the 12th
century A.D. who was inspecting a new church that was under construction. The
building was to be a magnificent structure with multiple towers and steeples,
beautiful coloured glass windows, and numerous finely crafted statues and
sculptures along with other works of art. It was to be the kind of cathedral that
takes more than a century to build and where all of the workmen and artisans
who began the construction would be long deceased when the building was finally
completed.
The story captures a series of conversations the Bishop had
as he toured the work site. His first conversation was with a stonemason. "What
are you doing?" he asks the mason. "I'm trimming this block to fit into that
wall over there." A while later the Bishop speaks with a carpenter. "What are
you doing?" the Bishop inquires. "I'm making a door." answers the wood craftsman.
Finally the Bishop sits down to speak with an old man who is carefully sweeping
up the piles of debris from the day's activities. "What are you doing?" asks the Bishop.
"I'm creating a cathedral." answers the janitor.
How do you respond when asked, "What do you do?" What is
your answer? Do you hold the greater vision and own your contribution toward
this vision? Or are you seeing only the task in front of you? Are you connected
to your higher purpose? Or is your life mostly about putting one foot in front of
the other? Are you living a life filled with meaning or a life full of drudgery and
frustration? The janitor recognized that
even in the minutest of tasks he was making a contribution toward the
building
of a great cathedral.
I meet many individuals who have worked
their whole lives to support a corporate or business agenda. Many are now
wondering about their purpose in life. They recognize that working for
financial compensation alone is no longer enough to fulfill them. More is
required to live a rich life. There is more to be considered when discerning
where to share one's time and talents.
What I know is that without a clear sense of my higher
purpose the day-to-day tasks lose their meaning with the result that I lose my
passion for life.
I wonder how our world might be different if when asked, "What do you do?" we responded with a
clear declaration of our higher purpose and a vivid description of our own
cathedrals? I'm confident answering in this way would lift and inspire those
around us to discover and declare their higher purpose too.
Are you willing to declare your higher purpose? Would you be
able to describe your cathedral the next time someone asks, "What do you do?"
I'm committed to sharing my cathedral - "I'm building a world of peace and
joy".
And I can hardly wait to hear from you when I ask, "What do you do?"
In peace,
Ted
