Approach it like a Puzzle
A slight addition to an overused metaphor
Life is a puzzle (stay with me here)
We’ve all heard it at some point. We probably roll our eyes whenever we hear it now.
Ugh. Another overused metaphor. Yeah, life is complicated and you have to build it piece by piece, we get it.
Do we get it, though?
The problem with popular metaphors and stories is we often dismiss them as ultimately unhelpful in terms of problem solving. Simply knowing that life is a puzzle doesn’t uncomplicate it or solve it, does it?
Well, the thing is…
What if we actually give it a chance? Or better yet, what if we tweak it?
Life is a puzzle, so approach it like a puzzle
Please stay with me here!!
Think about how you start a puzzle. Do you start with all the edges? Do you pick one image on the box and focus on those pieces? Do you start from top to bottom?
It doesn’t really matter, as long as you start somewhere.
After you start, how do you progress the puzzle?
You pick up a piece that you think will work, turn it a few times, and if it works, great! If it doesn’t, you put it down and pick up a new piece.
Sometimes you might need to take a walk and come back to it. Sometimes you need to sit on the other side of the table to get a new perspective on the pieces.
That’s it. That’s the approach to life.
If you’re feeling stuck, then just start somewhere, anywhere. Once you get a few pieces into place, you’ll start to flow. Then, you’ll hit a roadblock. You won’t know what to do next, so you just pick something, anything to try. You give it an honest effort. Then, once you determine if it’s working or not, you move on. Repeat as needed.
I’ll be the first to admit, this is way easier said than done. Maybe this feels very obvious to you, and if that’s the case, I solute you (truly). But for those of us who are recovering perfectionists, people-pleasers, and terrified of mistakes, the idea of letting go of what isn’t working can seem daunting. I’ve found that having this specific visual of working on a literal puzzle has brought a lot of comfort and rationality to decision making. You have no hope of completing a puzzle if you just stare at it, not making any moves. If you rage quit every time a piece doesn’t fit, the puzzle will be incomplete forever. The only way to succeed is to trust the process and keep trying until the pieces fit (oof, stop with the cliché 😉)