Puzzles
Not every piece we try fits
As my kids put together a puzzle I couldn’t help but watch the excitement and defeat they kept experiencing. The pieces were there in front of them but they weren’t sure what connected where. They’d try one that didn’t fit. Then a second, third, and fourth wouldn’t fit. The defeat and sadness filled their faces. Suddenly they got one to fit. Defeat and sadness turned to a victory and smiles.
At the end there was one piece missing. The puzzle was 99% complete but without that last piece their puzzle wasn’t finished. It wasn’t complete so it wasn’t a success. You could see the defeat on their faces. They needed to find the final piece.
After searching, under the couch cushion they found that final piece. Victory! Success! Smiles!
Watching this play out in front of my own eyes made me think of this quote from Rick Rubin.
“When working through ways of solving a puzzle, there are no mistakes. Each unsuccessful solution gets you closer to one that works.” - Rick Rubin
It’s easy in life to feel defeated when that new job doesn’t pan out. When that big business idea falls flat. When you miss out on that big sale. When you lose money in that investment.
But we continue trying. We try to see if the next puzzle piece fits. By sitting by and looking at the pieces nothing gets accomplished. You don’t learn anything unless you try to see where the pieces fit. When you try one that doesn’t fit, you feel defeated and unsuccessful. You need to experience failure. Failure is learning.
“Failure is the information you need to get where you’re going.” - Rick Rubin
What you learn from failure moves you closer to a piece that connects. You know more when you take on the next job. You’re more knowledgable about the next business idea you come up with. You learned a tip from that last big sale you missed. You’ve picked up a lesson from that last investment that you lost money on.
Each piece that eventually connects in place will make you feel a sense of victory. You’ll experience the taste of success. Your wins grow from what you learned through failure.
The pieces are all laid out in front of us. We see the pieces and what we want to try next. It’s up to us to try putting them into the proper place to create and eventually complete our puzzle.
When you look down upon your puzzle, where is it at? Have you tried all the pieces? Is it close to being completed or are there pieces missing?
Explore, grow, be wrong, be surprised and see where it takes you. Embrace and enjoy the journey of your puzzle.
The Coffee Table ☕
- who writes wrote a nice post called Walk with me. He talks about taking walks and the benefits they provide. I find it therapeutic and enjoyable to just take a walk. No music or podcasts. Just a walk. It’s amazing what comes to you when you’re walking.
The new season of Top Chef has started. My wife and have watched this show for years. We’re big foodies and enjoy watching it. We’ve visited many of the chef’s restaurants over time and this gives us more places to try. It’s interesting to hear their stories and watch what all these Michelin Star and James Beard winning chefs create. Be sure to watch late at night as it will make you hungry.
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