How do you quarry granite and why do you care?

Mission Statements

I was reading a mission statement in a company one day and one line really caught my attention.

As a rule Mission Statements are written mostly to "check a box" on a business plan rather than to inspire the team to aspire to something greater.  This one was different.  It read, and I quote, "I will attempt to get 1% better, every day."  That simple phrase has stuck with me for a long time now.  It gives the staff permission to make incremental improvements every day without the stress of having to make quantum leaps in ability.  We all need to give ourselves permission to make mistakes without the feeling that we need to be perfect all at once.

Parallel Thoughts

Months later I thought of a parallel to this thought.  Have you ever seen one of those history shows about how the ancients quarried slabs of granite for building projects?  The process was very incremental.  First you drill a series of small holes along the line where you want the slab to separate from the face of the deposit.  Then you drive wedges into each of the holes till they are tight.  You insert another set of, slightly larger, wedges on top of those and separate the slab a little more.  Then more, slightly larger, wedges one after the other till the stress on the fault line is too much for the block to bear.  At this point gravity to work its' magic and the slab comes free and falls to the ground ready for the next process, whatever the builder desires.

Life and Business Application

In life and business you can follow this same principle.  Get a couple of carefully planned holes into the project you want to accomplish and start driving wedges into the growing crack.  Without realizing it you will soon separate the slab and in a flash the project will be done and success will fall at your feet.

Wishing you good living and good business!!