☕️ Sunday Coffee: Brick by Brick
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My personal life & business column — a mix of life moments, investing insights, and reflections on long-term wealth building.
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Brick by Brick
“In life, don’t ever tell me there’s something you can’t do.” – Will Smith’s father
To start or not to start? Will it work out or not? Now or later? These questions come up almost every day. And sometimes there are entire periods of complete uncertainty, when tomorrow looks about as clear as a black cat in a dark room—meaning, not clear at all.
Our family has had many such moments, and there will probably be more ahead. Do you know what we do? We tell ourselves: just do what you’re supposed to do—and let come what may.
Will Smith once expressed this idea in his own unique and brilliant way. I think he captured the essence of the process—and the mindset—that our family has followed for many years.
Will Smith’s Lesson
It was a scorching summer day in 1980 when 11-year-old Will Smith and his younger brother arrived at their father’s store—only to find a massive hole where a solid brick wall used to be. Their father, a seasoned contractor, looked at them calmly and said something that sounded almost absurd: “I want you two to build that wall.” For two kids who could barely carry a single brick, the task felt impossible.
The wall stretched 20 feet long, the sun beat down mercilessly, and every brick felt heavier than the last. It was a job so tedious and unnecessarily long that what ended up taking the two boys nearly a year would have taken a team of grown men just a couple of days at most. Their father never took a day off, so neither could they.
“As I looked at the hole where the wall was meant to stand, its dimensions grew unfathomably large in my mind. It felt as though we were building the Great Wall of West Philly. I was certain I would grow old and die still mixing concrete and carrying those buckets.
Everyday it was the same routine. Mix some concrete and lay bricks. It didn’t matter what the weather was or what we had going on. My brother and I tried to complain and protest but it made no difference to Daddio.
This wall was a constant. Seasons changed, friends came and went, teachers retired, but the wall remained.
One day, we were grumbling ‘Why do we have to build a wall anyway? This is impossible. This wall is never going to get done.’
Daddio overheard us, threw down his tools, and marched over to where we were yapping.
He snatched a brick out of my hand and held it out in front of us, ‘Stop thinking about the damn wall.’ He said. ‘There is no wall. There are only bricks. Your job is to lay this brick perfectly, then move on to the next brick, then lay that brick perfectly, and then the next one. Don’t be worrying about no wall. Your only concern is one brick!’
Some of the most impactful lessons I had to learn I learned in spite of myself. I resisted them, I denied them, but ultimately the weight of their truth became unavoidable.
The days dragged on but I started to see what he was talking about. When I focused on the wall, the job felt impossible, never ending.
But when I focused on one brick the job got easy. I knew I could lay one damn brick well.
I started to see that the difference between a task that feels impossible and a task that feels doable is merely a matter of perspective. Are you paying attention to the wall or paying attention to the brick?
In all cases, what appeared to be impossibly large goals can be broken down into individually manageable tasks. Insurmountable walls comprised of a series of conceivably layable bricks.
For my entire career I have been absolutely relentless. I’ve been committed to a work ethic of uncompromising intensity. And the secret to my success is as boring as it is unsurprising. You show up and you lay another brick. Pissed off, lay another brick. Bad opening week, lay another brick. Marriage failing, lay another brick.
Every day I got up, mixed concrete, and laid another brick.
There is always another brick sitting there in front of you, waiting to be laid. The only question is, are you going to get up and lay it?
‘Now don’t you boys ever tell me there is something you can’t do,’ said Daddio upon completion of the wall. Then he walked back into his shop and went back to work.”
And today, when it feels like the wrong time to begin, take a lesson from Will Smith. Remember our family. Lay the brick.
Want to live off dividends? Lay the brick. People tell you it won’t work? Lay the brick. The market is going down? Just lay the brick. One step at a time.
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Enjoy your Sunday coffee ☕
With respect for your well-being, Max
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