Puzzles

My wife Barb and I like doing jigsaw puzzles together. One of our friends (who also likes puzzles) calls it a "disease," and I think she's right!

The current puzzle we're working on is a gift from friends from The Netherlands. It's a cartoon style picture with lots of people and activity going on around a canal in Amsterdam. The hard part is that nearly all the people (and there are a huge number of people) are wearing orange. There are three Santa Claus figures, several home country flags, and just a sea of orange with faces attached. As we started diving into it, the task seemed insurmountable.

As we spent more time with the puzzle, nuances became apparent. There were many small stories in the different scenes; we found a crocodile, a martian, and a ghost. Even though everyone seemed to be in orange, the individual people and situations made the puzzle more unique and helped us put it together. We are still working on it, but much better than when we started. We uncovered the secret of the puzzle.

Your business is like a jigsaw puzzle. What may at times seem like a jumble of people all doing the same thing and often in what appears to be chaos, has all the intricacies and nuances of our puzzle. The pieces all fit together; you just have to find the where to put them. The big picture requires effort in understanding and appreciating all the individual stories, motivations, and differences that make the process fun and exciting.

Your career is like a jigsaw puzzle. While it sometimes seems that the pieces will never really fit together (or that a couple of them fell on the floor and were eaten by the dog), by intentionally and positively looking at the big picture, honoring the struggle, and being patient, your puzzle will also come together and create the result you desire. Don't consider the challenge as insurmountable; rather an opportunity.

I've heard that jigsaw puzzles are good for your brain. I'm pretty sure the jigsaw puzzles that are your business and career are good for your personal and professional growth, resilience, and spirit as long as you never give up and enjoy the experience.

Quote of the Week:

”My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could ever give another person. He believed in me.”

~ Jim Valvano

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