The Stone Cutter of Notre Dame



Here I sit in one of my favorite coffee houses, sipping on my Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea, listening to some Ronnie James Dio and reflecting about 2011 and of course looking forward to what 2012 has yet to bring! Before I go into too much detail about my thoughts let me tell you a little "Tie In Story." I call this one, "The Stone Cutter of Notre Dame." I don't remember where I picked this story up from, so for that reason forgive me if I don't recite it word for word. I changed the title and adapted things to suit both my purpose of telling it as well as my fading, sometimes ill tempered memory. So without any further ado:



"The Stone Cutter of Notre Dame"


One day the foreman of a very large stone query was out doing his rounds checking on all of the workers who were cutting stone into bricks that were to be used in constructing the great Cathedral of Notre Dame. As he walked he came across one of the workers grumbling and very unhappy with life. The foreman asked the worker what he was doing? To which the worker replied, "What's am I doing?! Isn't it obvious? I am working out here in the hot sun cutting these huge stones into bricks. It's back breaking work. And look around, no matter how many rocks I finish there are more rocks to chisel. This project is so immense it will never be finished in my lifetime. It's endless! So, if you would excuse me I have to get back to work."

Under normal circumstances the foreman would have fired the worker, but he had known this worker for a long time and knew he could be a bit cranky, however, he never missed a day and he did good work, so the foreman just smiled and agreed that carving stones into bricks was very hard work and kept moving.

As the foreman walked along he came upon a second worker who was also carving stone. Because of the response of the first worker the foreman was hesitant to ask the second worker what he was doing, but being that was his job, he asked all the same. Upon hearing the question the second worker replied, "What am I doing? I am supporting my family. Although the work is difficult and very taxing, it supports me and those I love, so I am thankful for it. And because this project is so large there is job security which makes me feel safe in knowing I will be able to provide for myself and my family for my entire life." 

To this the foreman nodded and agreed on all of his points, knowing that each was true.

Finally, before finishing his rounds the foreman came upon a third worker who was moving with conviction. Seeing his dedication the foreman asked him what he was doing? The third worker looked up from his work, brow red and sweating from the sun and replied, "I am carving the foundation to the great Cathedral of Notre Dame which will bring enlightenment, knowledge, and peace to many peoples lives for generations to come. I know that this project cannot be finished in my lifetime, which makes my job even more important. The efforts of others will be built upon my own, so you'll have to excuse me my friend for not chatting longer, but there is much work to do."

The foreman was at loss for words as he thought about the connection that this laborer felt to his own work and how that drove him to excel in everything he did. He began to understand how powerful perspective and belief was in everything we do.The deeper connections to our daily lives is what keeps us on track and motivated to continue on. It makes for a more fulfilling and prosperous path. 

Live, Protect, Inspire & of course... Enjoy the Ride!

Best, 
~Craig


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An Uncomfortable Situation

Image
  Funny pic (and movie) about a not so funny situation… In training as in Life, it’s better to treat people with dignity and respect. However… What does that look like in the moment? Being that I’m teaching a Women’s Assault Prevention and Response Workshop this weekend - it’s probably a good time to talk about… Uncomfortable Situations Let’s talk about training at the academy for a minute… We run open co-ed classes at the local academy. What does that mean? Men and women train together, but we don’t stop there. People of different skill levels, backgrounds, ethnicities, sexual orientations, careers, religious beliefs, political affiliations, ages, injuries, pre-existing conditions, life experience, training expectations etc. etc. train together! We ALL work together! Overall, I think it’s better this way. Of course sometimes there’s static, you know, conflicts, and misunderstanding. When something happens, most of the time it’s just that, a misunderstanding… Sometimes people ...
Read more

What'd You Say?!

Image
  You ever have a conversation with someone who really lifted your spirits? How about having a conversation with someone who’s a real downer?! We spend a lot of time talking to people. Matter of fact, talking is one of the most under rated and under trained aspects of protecting yourself. It’s much better if you can talk your way out of a bad situation, rather than having to resort to some form of physicality. This is why we spend so much time on sharing effective communication frameworks in the PeaceWalker course. But All of that Aside… When we think about communicating, we often just think about talking to other people. We forget how we talk to ourselves! You may have heard it called, “Self talk.” All day long we talk to ourselves. We carry on an inner dialogue in our heads that only we can hear. Unfortunately, this means it's very easy to be hard on ourselves. There's something about privacy which makes it easy to say the things you would never say out loud to another living...
Read more

Cracks in Your Foundation?!

Image
  Last night we had one of our weekly coaching calls for the PeaceWalker Evolution Course. What a great call! Rob and Jenn, a couple of the Level II - Momentum folks (people who graduated from Evolution last year and came back for the second Level.), were tasked to run the meeting as part of their training. I must say, they did a stand up job! The topic of discussion was building an Unshakable Foundation. WTH is that!? It’s basically the way you live. Your habits. What you do in your day to day life. How do you train your… Body  - Your physical health Mind  - What you’re filling your head with Mouth  - How you’re communicating Heart  - How you foster your relationships Why?! Without a solid foundation it’s difficult to remain balanced. When you are not balanced, it more difficult to stay calm, cool, and collected, (especially) under pressure. As I often say,  “You can’t hide crazy.” (It eventually comes out!) Regardless… You don’t have to be in the PeaceWal...
Read more