When I was a kid, my grandfather once asked me to tidy up a few bookshelves in his office. I rushed through the task, sloppily stacking the books so I could get back to whatever I was doing.

When I told him I was done, he looked at the bookshelves, smiled, and told me to sit down.

He shared a story I’ll never forget…

An old carpenter told his boss that he planned to retire. The boss was sad to lose the carpenter, but understood.

He asked if he’d stick around for one last job—to build one final house.

The carpenter reluctantly agreed, figuring he could get it done quickly. He cut corners, used cheap materials, and rushed through the work.

When the house was done, his boss arrived for the final inspection. But instead of walking the house, he reached into his pocket, and handed the carpenter the keys.

“This is your house,” his boss smiled, “My retirement gift to you.”

The carpenter was stunned. If he’d known he was building his own house, he would have done it differently. Now he’d have to live in a house he had built none too well.

The lesson: You’re always building your own house.

Every single day, the way you choose to show up in the world determines the quality of that house.

• If you choose to cut corners, use cheap materials, and rush the work, you’ll live with it.
• If you choose to nail the details, invest in quality materials, and take pride in the work, you’ll live with it.

I once heard an internet guru sell the concept of strategic incompetence in your career.

The idea was basically that you should be strategically incompetent at things that you don't want to do, because then people won't ask you to do them in future.

It whispers, “Don’t try too hard on the things that don’t directly benefit you.”

This may be the single worst piece of life advice I’ve ever heard.

You don’t get to pick and choose when to show up.

Every action lays a brick in one of the three houses you have to live in…

The Professional House

Every email you send, every meeting you attend, every piece of work you complete plays a role in building your professional reputation.

The person who takes small things seriously earns the trust of those around them. They create value for everyone they encounter. That person will eventually be given bigger and bigger opportunities, the types of opportunities that dramatically change one’s trajectory.

If you don’t take the small things seriously, you will never be trusted to take on the big.

The Relationship House

Every word you speak, every gesture you make, and every moment you show up lays the foundation of your relationships.

Tiny daily acts of service build strong walls. Neglect, resentment, and indifference form cracks that grow over time.

The Physical House

Every movement, every meal, every night of sleep lays the foundation of your physical health.

Skipping these small, daily actions may feel inconsequential today, but compounded over months and years, they shape whether you live in a house of strength or fragility.

Strategic incompetence is a lie. The truth is that everything matters. Every single thing.

The Owner’s Mentality

I think about this quote from Steve Jobs all the time:

“When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.”

This is about living life with an Owner’s Mentality:

• If you knew you had to live with the results of this action forever, would you still do it this way?
• What small daily actions are you overlooking that are actually laying the foundation of your future?
• What cracks are you creating today that could become major problems tomorrow?

An owner always takes pride in the small, because they know that how you do one thing is how you do everything.

Which Stonecutter Are You?

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 task, different perspective.

A simple choice transforms the mundane into the meaningful.

Those who take pride in the seemingly inconsequential tasks—who choose to see the bigger picture—show up with a different energy and enthusiasm that only comes from ownership.

So, which stonecutter are you?

• You can choose to view your days as cutting stone, or
• You can choose to view your days as building a cathedral

It’s the most important choice you will ever make—because the way you view your days shapes the way you build your life.