Putting together a jigsaw puzzle is a lot like living life. When you first get the puzzle, a picture of the result is on the cover and when you pry open the box, hundreds of pieces fly out. Your mission is to put all the pieces together so it resembles what you see on the box — a daunting task, to say the least.
In life, we have a rough idea of what we ultimately want (the big picture), but it’s our mission to put all the pieces in place to realize it. While indulging in my new hobbie (or rather, a rekindling of an old hobbie), I realized a few parallels with living life.
- Build inward. Having the edges of a puzzle put together puts the whole picture together in your mind and suddenly, the pieces will start falling into place. The same is true of having a plan — even a simple one. (No one said planning needs to be an intricate science.) The plan will give you an idea of the whole picture and allow the pieces to fall into place.
- Use different perspectives. When a piece doesn’t seem to fit, try turning it upside down and looking at it from a different perspective. In life, this could mean asking other people for their points of view or forcing yourself to look at something outside of your comfort zone.
- You cannot cram a piece where it doesn’t rightfully belong. (Well, you can, but the end result will probably be crappy.) Sometimes you come across a piece that looks like it should fit in a particular area, but it doesn’t. Instead of trying to force it, find where it truly does belong. The same is true for business, romantic, familial, and various other relationships.
- When you can’t finish the house, move to the trees. Instead of focusing too intently on a specific area to the point of frustration, move to a different area. You can always come back to that area when more of the picture is revealed. Chances are, the first area will fall into place.
- Remember where you’ve been. When you finish a stream, all but one piece, remember the stream so you can quickly plop that piece into place when you come across in. In life, sometimes you must move on before you finish a particular aspect; remember the details so when the opportunity for closure comes up, you can complete it.
- Keep your eye on the big picture at all times. When you focus only on the top right corner, you may not realize the piece you’re holding in your hand fits in the lower left.
- Create groups and build upon them. The shortest distance between two points may be a straight line, but life isn’t linear. Find the pieces that belong together and group them. As you go along, you may find the one intermediary piece to form a larger group.
- Sleep on it. Puzzles take time. Your life is the largest puzzle you will ever need to put together, so it’s all right if you can’t put all the pieces together in a single day. When fatigue sets in, it will cloud your judgment. Get a good night’s rest and you may be surprised at how clear the picture is when you wake up.
