"You don’t set out to build a wall. You don’t start by saying, ‘I’m going to build the biggest, baddest wall that’s ever been built.’ You don’t start there. You say, ‘I’m going to lay this brick as perfectly as a brick can be laid.’ If you do that every single day, soon you will have a wall."

It’s not enough to show up (at work, in our relationships, or for our goals). Attendance alone won’t turn the tide. No one aced the exam because they showed up.Instead, we must show up with unbridled enthusiasm. If 90 percent of success is showing up, enthusiasm, perhaps then, is the other 10 percent.Having enthusiasm is easier said than done, of course. We all “go through the motions” at times and question our motivation. Is this goal still important to me? Is this what I want?

Bringing enthusiasm to your daily work

It was a hot summer’s day in 1980, and Willard Carroll Smith Jr. and his brother Harry were standing wide-eyed with their mouths open in confusion. [1]Where a wall once stood in front of their father’s shop was now a hole—a hole that the boys’ father had made himself for reasons that weren’t made clear.“Build me a wall,” their old man instructed.Willard deemed it impossible. His brother too. How could either of them build a wall at their age (in the scorching heat, no less?!) Still, the two daren’t argue with their father and did what was asked of them.Each day after school, the boys went to their father’s shop and laid bricks, one after the other, with a surprising level of perfection neither would have expected.After 18 months(!), the brothers laid their final brick. The wall—their&nbsp;wall—was done. And what a sight she was. As the boys marveled at their work, their father walked out of the shop and joined them.The three of them stood in silence for a moment before the boys’ father turned to both his sons and said, “Now, don’t you ever tell me you can’t do something again.”&nbsp;<h2>“You Don’t Build a Wall”</h2><figure><img src="https://i2.wp.com/www.samuelthomasdavies.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Will-Smith-Wall-Story.jpeg?resize=768%2C440&amp;ssl=1" alt="Will Smith Wall Story" width="768" height="440"><figcaption dir="ltr"><a href="https://medium.com/@jonnym1ller/will-smiths-philosophy-668f37dd51b1" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" dir="ltr">Source</a></figcaption></figure>Years later, in an interview with Charlie Rose, Willard Carroll Smith Jr., better known as Will Smith, was asked what he learned from that experience.&nbsp;In his words,<BLOCKQUOTE>You don’t set out to build a wall. You don’t start by saying, ‘I’m going to build the biggest, baddest wall that’s ever been built.’ You don’t start there. You say, ‘I’m going to lay this brick as perfectly as a brick can be laid.’ If you do that every single day, soon you will have a wall.</BLOCKQUOTE>*Smith’s “Great Wall of Philly” represents a goal, with each brick akin to a step towards that goal’s completion. That’s the metaphor, and it will be evident to most readers. But the moral of the story is a little harder to infer. Here’s an attempt:&nbsp;It’s not enough to “show up.” At work. At home. In our relationships, or for our goals. Sure, attendance trumps absenteeism. That’s a given. But attendance alone won’t turn the tide. No one aced the exam because they showed up.Instead, we must show up with unbridled enthusiasm. We must lay each “brick” as perfectly as the one that came before and will follow. If 90 percent of success is showing up, enthusiasm, perhaps then, is the other 10 percent.Having enthusiasm is easier said than done, of course. We all “go through the motions” at times and question our motivation.&nbsp;Is this goal still important to me? Is this what I want?&nbsp;Patience wanes, and even the smartest can bow out over time, as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.samuelthomasdavies.com/words-into-works/january-21-2021/" rel="noreferrer noopener" dir="ltr">Rich Guerin</a>&nbsp;could once attest to.Smith himself must have experienced moments of self-doubt, both as a child and later in life, when his career took a backstep. But he chose to persevere. And we can, too. We can choose to fall in love with boredom. But we have to lay that first brick. And then another. And another. [2]&nbsp;[2] James Clear writes about how to fall in love with boredom in his bestselling book,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.samuelthomasdavies.com/print/atomic-habits" rel="noreferrer noopener" dir="ltr">Atomic Habits: An Easy &amp; Proven Way to Build Good Habits &amp; Break Bad Ones</a>.

Read this article to learn the lesson behind the Will Smith wall story and how you can apply it to life and work.

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It was a hot summer’s day in 1980, and Willard Carroll Smith Jr. and his brother Harry were standing wide-eyed with their mouths open in confusion. [1]

Where a wall once stood in front of their father’s shop was now a hole—a hole that the boys’ father had made himself for reasons that weren’t made clear.

“Build me a wall,” their old man instructed.

Willard deemed it impossible. His brother too. How could either of them build a wall at their age (in the scorching heat, no less?!) Still, the two daren’t argue with their father and did what was asked of them.

Each day after school, the boys went to their father’s shop and laid bricks, one after the other, with a surprising level of perfection neither would have expected.

After 18 months(!), the brothers laid their final brick. The wall—their  wall—was done. And what a sight she was. As the boys marveled at their work, their father walked out of the shop and joined them.

The three of them stood in silence for a moment before the boys’ father turned to both his sons and said, “Now, don’t you ever tell me you can’t do something again.”

Years later, in an interview with Charlie Rose, Willard Carroll Smith Jr., better known as Will Smith, was asked what he learned from that experience.

You don’t set out to build a wall. You don’t start by saying, ‘I’m going to build the biggest, baddest wall that’s ever been built.’ You don’t start there. You say, ‘I’m going to lay this brick as perfectly as a brick can be laid.’ If you do that every single day, soon you will have a wall.

Smith’s “Great Wall of Philly” represents a goal, with each brick akin to a step towards that goal’s completion. That’s the metaphor, and it will be evident to most readers. But the moral of the story is a little harder to infer. Here’s an attempt:

It’s not enough to “show up.” At work. At home. In our relationships, or for our goals. Sure, attendance trumps absenteeism. That’s a given. But attendance alone won’t turn the tide. No one aced the exam because they showed up.

Instead, we must show up with unbridled enthusiasm. We must lay each “brick” as perfectly as the one that came before and will follow. If 90 percent of success is showing up, enthusiasm, perhaps then, is the other 10 percent.

Having enthusiasm is easier said than done, of course. We all “go through the motions” at times and question our motivation. Is this goal still important to me? Is this what I want?  Patience wanes, and even the smartest can bow out over time, as <a href="https://www.samuelthomasdavies.com/words-into-works/january-21-2021/">Rich Guerin </a> could once attest to.

Smith himself must have experienced moments of self-doubt, both as a child and later in life, when his career took a backstep. But he chose to persevere. And we can, too. We can choose to fall in love with boredom. But we have to lay that first brick. And then another. And another. [2]

[2] James Clear writes about how to fall in love with boredom in his bestselling book, <a href="https://www.samuelthomasdavies.com/print/atomic-habits">Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones </a>.

Don’t Set Out To Build a Wall. Do This Instead

WILL SMITH

Bringing enthusiasm to your daily work

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