Barry Gallant has spent his working life in Manchester, New Hampshire, doing paving, landscaping, concrete work, and masonry. He went straight to work after high school and has been on job sites ever since. In this Q&A, he talks about what success means to him, on the job and off it.
How Do You Define Success?
For me, success is pretty simple. It’s being able to get up, do a full day’s work, and still feel good at the end of it. I never measured it in money or titles. I measured it in whether the job got done right and whether my body held up to do it again tomorrow. That sounds small to some people. To me, it’s everything.
Did That Definition Change Over the Years?
A little. When I was younger, success meant finishing the job fast and moving to the next one. I wanted to prove I could keep up with anybody on the crew. As I got older, I started caring more about doing it right than doing it quick. A patio or a stretch of pavement that still looks good years later means more to me now than how fast I laid it down.
What Role Has Family Played in How You Measure Success?
A big one. I have two daughters and eight grandchildren, and a lot of what I worked for over the years was for them. Success isn’t just what you build with your hands during the day. It’s whether you have something left over for the people who matter when you get home. Some of my best days were ordinary ones, nothing special happened, I just got to spend time with my family after a hard day’s work.
How Do You Know When a Day’s Work Was Successful?
I know by how the job looks and how my body feels. If the concrete sets right, if the pavers line up, if the lawn looks clean, that’s a good day. If my back and knees are sore but I got through it standing up straight, that’s a good day too. I don’t need somebody to tell me it went well. You can see it in the work, and you can feel it in yourself.
What Does Success Look Like Outside of Work?
Honestly, it looks like a quiet morning feeding the birds before anybody else is up. It looks like a ride out to the ocean on a day off. I used to own a Harley and riding it was its own kind of success, just me, the road, and nothing else to think about. Lately I’ve been taking weekly dance classes, which is new for me and not something I ever expected to say. Trying something outside of what I know and sticking with it, that counts as success too.
What Would You Tell Someone Starting Out in This Kind of Work?
Learn more than one trade if you can. I’ve done paving, landscaping, concrete, and masonry, and knowing all of it has kept me working steady over the years. Don’t expect anybody to hand you anything. I went straight into working after high school, and whatever I learned, I learned on the job, by doing it wrong first and then doing it right. That’s still how most of this trade gets passed down.
What’s a Part of Success That People Outside This Work Might Not Think About?
Staying healthy enough to keep doing it. This work is hard on your body, and nobody talks about that part until they’re dealing with it. I go to the gym daily, or as close to daily as I can manage, and I take walks through the local parks when the weather lets me. That’s not separate from my work, it’s part of it. If I can’t move right, I can’t do the job right. Taking care of yourself outside of work hours is part of how you succeed at the work itself.
What Does a Successful Life Add up to, for You?
Being outdoors, staying close to my family, and still being able to do a day’s work with my hands. I’ve never needed much more than that. Add in a ride to the beach, some seafood, and time with my grandkids, and that’s a full life as far as I’m concerned.