Chop Wood Carry Water: How to Fall In Love With the Process of Becoming Great

“The only thing that is truly significant about today, or any other day, is who you become in the process. Each of us are building our own house. Sometimes you might think you are building for your school, your family, your company, or your team, but you are always building your own house…I hope you build wisely.”

In a story within a parable, Kota is an architect eager to retire who shoddily builds a home, not realizing that it will soon be his own. Akira explains to John that in every action we take, we are building our own house, and to treat each action accordingly. Through this story, Medcalf encourages readers to work on each project as if it were for themselves.

“Everyone wants to be great, until it’s time to do what greatness requires.”

Akira explains to John that big outcomes don’t come from big actions but rather thousands of hard, mundane actions, speaking to the theme The Daily Commitment to One’s Craft. Akira uses the story of Ingvar Kamprad to highlight this, explaining how Kamprad sold individual matchsticks door-to-door until he was able to eventually form the company Ikea. Medcalf uses this parable to demonstrate that there are no shortcuts to greatness. Medcalf returns to this idea repeatedly throughout the book in parable form as well as in narrative dialogue and, in the final chapters, directly.