What will you built that last

"What Will You Build That Lasts?" 

When I was a boy in a small town, the streets were dusty, the nights were quiet, and my hands were never still. I took apart radios, clocks, anything with gears and wires. My parents would find me surrounded by screws and springs, smiling like I had just discovered the universe’s secrets.

I didn’t know the word engineer yet. But I was already thinking like one.

The First Lesson – Effort Alone Isn’t Enough

When I graduated with my engineering degree, I thought I could take on the world. My first job was at a big infrastructure firm — tight deadlines, complex designs, people who seemed so much smarter than me.

I worked late into the night. Not because my boss told me to, but because I believed hard work was the only ticket to success.

Then came my first failure. Not because of bad calculations… but because of bad communication. The project collapsed because we didn’t listen to each other. That day I learned something:

> Engineering isn’t just about steel and systems — it’s about people.

The Second Lesson – You Build More Than Projects

In my thirties, I began listening more than I spoke. I asked my colleagues about their struggles before I offered solutions. And something happened — trust grew, and teams began to follow me not because they had to, but because they wanted to.

I started mentoring younger engineers. I told them, “You can’t design in isolation. Our work lives in the hands and hearts of others.”

The Third Lesson – Vision Outlives You

In my forties, I was traveling the world — building earthquake-resilient bridges, renewable energy plants, city infrastructure. But my proudest moments weren’t at ribbon-cuttings. They were when a young engineer I had mentored became a leader in their own right.

I realized:

> The real legacy of a leader is not the projects they finish, but the people they equip to keep building long after they’re gone.

The Fourth Lesson – Wisdom Must Be Shared

By my fifties and sixties, I found my greatest joy was not in blueprints, but in conversations. Letters, emails, visits from people saying, “You changed my life.”

I began giving lectures — not on formulas, but on resilience, ethics, and leadership. I told young engineers:

Failures are not scars, they’re medals of experience.

Leadership isn’t about being followed — it’s about creating others who can lead.

If you want to change the world, first understand it. Then love it enough to make it better.

The Final Lesson – The Only Things That Last

Now, as an old man, my home is filled with books, journals, and young people who come not for answers, but for perspective.

One evening, a young engineer asked me, “What’s your greatest achievement?”

I told them this:

> “When I was young, I wanted to build things that would last forever. Now I know the only things that truly last are the minds you shape and the kindness you leave behind. Steel rusts. Concrete cracks. But a person you inspire will keep building long after you’re gone.”

So I ask all of you here tonight — what will you build that lasts?

Because one day, the bridges you design may fall, the towers you build may crumble…

But the people you guide, the character you inspire, and the love you show for this world — those will stand forever.