Coach’s Corner: Are You Motivated to ‘Build Your Cathedral’?

By Mark Johnson
Chief Executive Officer, JP & Associates Realtors

My long-time friend and business associate Dave Mashburn reminded me of an old parable you’ve probably heard before:

There were three bricklayers who were all working on the same job.

When they get a break, one guy asks the other two, ‘Why are you doing this job?’

The first guy says, ‘I’m doing it for the wages.’

The second guy says, ‘I’m doing it for my wife and kids.’

The third guy looks up at what they’ve been building — a church, a place to get in touch with God— and says, ‘I’m helping to build a cathedral.’

Many people hear this parable, and they think the third guy has the “right” answer. 

Yet consider this, the third answer is not the lesson being taught.

All three men have a sense of purpose — the cathedral is just a conduit for their purpose to be realized (spirituality, family, or self-sufficiency).

They’re all excellent. 

They’re all “right” answers. 

The real lesson of the parable? Notice no one answered, ‘I just love laying bricks.’ 

Whatever your reasons, make sure where you spend most of your time helps you uncover your true purpose and has a culture that enables you to flourish more in that purpose. 

#WinTheDay 

Mark Johnson is the Chief Executive Officer of JP & Associates, a rapidly growing full-service real estate brokerage. He is focused primarily on productivity and service. He has invested nearly 25 years in understanding the inner workings of high-performing real estate agents, teams, managers, and leaders in major markets across the world. In prior assignments, he served as a Business Coach, in progressive leadership capacities for the 5th largest US-based real estate brokerage firm, in sales and marketing leadership capacities for a major consumer goods company, and served a stint in the US Army, Medical Service Corps. He was recalled to active duty during Desert Storm. Mark is a father of 3, a lifelong learner, Spartan, and an adventure athlete. He earned his MBA from California State University and a Behavioral Change Certification from the National Association of Sports Medicine. Several years ago, he decided to make “One Helluva Move” and not play it safe. Since that decision, he has climbed the world’s tallest free-standing mountain — Kilimanjaro; completed the Spartan trifecta, the LA Marathon, and the world-famous Iowa border to border RABGRAI ride, among other crazy adventures.