Hey – Walker and Davis here.
Happy Sunday evening to the Laying Foundations community!
Apologies to everyone for sending this out late, the job site is requiring more of my time as we are working towards getting our CO (Certificate of Occupancy) this month. This month we will be focusing on your first year in construction.
Today’s issue takes about 5 minutes to read and was written for you by Davis Hambrick
Enjoy!
Quote Of The Week
“It’s your outlook on life that counts. If you take yourself lightly don’t take yourself too seriously, pretty soon you can find the humor in our everyday lives. And sometimes it can be a lifesaver.” – Betty White
Your first year in construction can make or break you.
You can be mentored by the right person or the wrong person
You can learn good habits or bad habits
You can learn the qualities that make you a construction professional or not.
There are so many opportunities for good or bad, and we at Laying Foundations want to help you along your journey. Over the next month, we are going to dive deeper into what Walker and I’s first year in construction looked like and the lessons we learned.
Don’t take yourself too seriously
As many of you know my first year in construction started in New Orleans, LA. I graduated from the Building Science program at Auburn University and shipped out to New Orleans totally unprepared for the real world. And this was tough for me because I intentionally worked hard in several different areas while in school at Auburn.
I worked multiple jobs, weekends, and holidays through school so that I could go to an awesome school and get a great education.
I was intentional about understanding finances and learning how to live off of way less than you make. I studied and did all the clubs.
What I didn’t realize is that all the things that helped me have success at school in Auburn were building this habit to be serious. Put another way, I began to take life too seriously.
I was tough and calloused and believed if people didn’t do things the same way that I did that they were wrong. I learned to take things too seriously.
While it is important to work hard and do the right things it is also important to take breaks and slow down.
The people that know me well, know that I am like an energizer bunny. I struggle with being still, and it is something that I am working on.
All of this said, in your first year in construction there is going to be a lot put on your plate. Your company is going to require a lot from you, and that is fine and dandy. You have to choose to be intentional in your first year to take time off.
If you are given 10 vacation days, make sure you are taking them. If you are not required to work on the weekends make sure you spend time resting and with family.
If you see a trades foreman or worker having a hard day, realize it and choose to help them.
Make sure you are taking time to slow down, being intentional about making relationships on and off the job site.
Your career in construction is a marathon, not a sprint, choose to invest in yourself over time.
Quality of the Week: Rest – cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength.
20-Year-Old Self Advice: Be willing to have hard and truthful conversations with your supervisor when you need a break.
Check out episode 132 on The Laying Foundations Podcast!
Join us for a conversation with Tyler Stankunas, Vice President of Commercial Concrete at Silverback Concrete. Tyler started his career in construction at the age of 15 on the job site with his brothers. This week we talk about the work ethic that has to be instilled in you to be in the construction industry. We also discuss learning to find a hobby that helps you decompress from the problems at work. There are always problems in the construction industry, learning how to navigate and say the day is done is imperative in your work-life balance.
