How to build Rome
181/300. Lay your bricks daily.
“Rome was not built in a day but bricks were laid day by day.”
Incase you didn’t know, that is the full quote. Yet again we’d shortened another quote for our benefit? I wonder.
Rome was not built in a day is mostly a way to tell you to not die over it, to calm down. And it is one of the realest advice.
You see someone who “suddenly” blows up and goes viral and you’re wondering “what manner of luck.” You’re probably thinking “if only it were you.”
We’ve had the habit of looking at people whose evidence are beginning to show in their everyday life and calling their success, “overnight success.”
Like they didn’t toil all night. Like they didn’t cast their nets plenty of times and caught no fish. Like they just suddenly woke up with something divine. Like luck clearly knew their address.
But the difference between us and them is nearly significant.
No matter how you look at it, Rome was definitely never built in a day. BUT bricks were laid day by day and that’s the difference between you and them.
They knew they couldn’t build Rome in one day but they did want to build Rome, so rather than fold hands because it was “impossible” they got bricks and began to lay it day by day. Small, big, large. It didn’t matter how many bricks, what energy was expended, they simply kept piling the bricks one day at a time.
That’s the difference.
Get Favour Ugbor’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
You’re probably sitting down there praying for luck and chance and time to happen to you but have you given luck a chance to find you?
In the video Korty EO shot of Tony Elumelu (an interview), TOE said all he had achieved was attributed to luck. Korty didn’t believe it. She asked his executive assistant and he mentioned everything TOE does and do. How he got to where he was and Korty said, that was not luck at all. Which I agree with her.
The EA and TOE insisted that luck was an element. He had done something daring and he was lucky to have still gotten it rather than being kicked out. TOE had applied for a job that he didn’t even qualify for on paper but he had boldly told the employer, “If you give me a chance, I will do more than the first class student you’re looking for.” And he did.
And it made me think, even that luck wasn’t entirely luck. Maybe luck had allowed him to be given a listening ear but trust me, it wasn luck that applied. It wasn’t luck that dared to do. It wasn’t luck that made such bold statement, neither was it luck that produced the type of result he did after getting the job.
He had laid his bricks day by day. He might have graduated with an unqualifieing second class lower but he had laid the bricks of knowing when to be bold and walking into rooms he didn’t even qualify for.
I’m sure so many other people just like him had seen the qualifications but they probably chose to back out. He dared!
Every step you take everyday is one step to actually laying your bricks. Don’t stop!
Nobody is going to lay it for you.
And if your excuse has always been, Rome was not built in a day then I challenge you to lay your bricks every single day.
Write everyday. Take a course. Add one thing to that backend design. Read one chapter everyday. Post that awkward video everyday. Show up like you mean it everyday.
Don’t ever stop.
If you want to build Rome then you can’t stop, at least not until you see the tower.
Show up everyday!
