The Stonecutter Principle
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The Stonecutter Principle
There’s a story I love about three stonecutters:
A traveler approached three stonecutters working on a construction site and asked each of them what they were doing.
The first stonecutter said, “I am cutting stone.”
The second stonecutter replied, “I am building a wall.”
But the third stonecutter smiled proudly, “I am building a cathedral.”
Same work. Different story.
This is important: The story you tell yourself about your daily actions has the power to dramatically shape the reality you experience.
The first stonecutter sees monotony. The second sees contribution. The third sees purpose.
The task doesn’t change, but the meaning does.
And as we all know, a strong sense of meaning creates a different level of energy, focus, and intensity in the pursuit.
I like to call this the Stonecutter Principle:
How you choose to perceive the process determines the quality of your outcomes.
But it’s easier said than done…
Most of life is lived in the daily grind. The small, repetitive, sometimes frustrating tasks that make up the process. When you’re trudging forward, it can feel like the work on any given day doesn’t matter. Like your effort disappears into the noise of the larger structure, especially when you’re one piece of a much larger team or organization.
And yet, the hard days are where perspective becomes most powerful. This is where the story can change everything.
Simply because so few people are able to connect the small to the big.
And doing that is what allows you to show up with energy and enthusiasm on the days when others won’t.
I remember reading once about President John F. Kennedy visiting NASA headquarters during the space race.
He was walking through the halls and saw a janitor cleaning the floor. He asked the janitor what work he did for NASA, to which the janitor famously replied:
“I’m helping put a man on the moon.”
True or not, that’s the Stonecutter Principle in action: Connecting daily effort to the grand vision.
You won’t always enjoy every task in front of you. Some days will feel dull, heavy, or thankless. But you always have the power to choose the story you tell about that work.
You can see yourself cutting stone—or building a cathedral.
You can see yourself cleaning the floor—or helping put a man on the moon.
And when you choose the bigger story, you don’t just elevate yourself, but everyone around you. That vision is contagious. Your energy creates energy. Your agency creates agency.
So the next time you find yourself caught in the grind, pause and ask:
What am I really building here?
Because the story you choose is the life you live.
