It was time for another jigsaw puzzle. I saw it at the bookstore and weighed up whether I wanted that specific one. It looked awesome but I also knew it would be challenging based on the blurred colour schemes and lots of dark background. In the end I decided to buy it because my daughter and I would be working on it together. Or so I thought.
I got home only to find out that she had had changed her mind. I was really looking forward to doing this with her – you know, part of our togetherness time and tackling this 1000 piece jigsaw as a team. It wasn’t to be. So what to do? Take it back and get a refund or persevere and tackle it on my own – despite knowing the jigsaw challenges ahead.
Determination set in and so off I went. I worked the easy parts first while navigating the challenging parts in bitesize chunks. Sometimes I had to walk away from it for a day or three, or ‘sleep on it’, before I found my flow again. At other times I put in intense hours for small gains and other times, big gains were made with minimal input.
This puzzle journey (once again) made me reflect on business, as well as mindset. There will be times when people you thought you could rely on are no longer available. Can you continue without them or not? Can you handle the challenge if you are alone? What does the challenge look like and what do you need to have a successful outcome? In the case of the jigsaw, my determination and grit kept me going until I completed the jigsaw some two weeks after.
I know that with help, it could have been completed earlier than that. In this case, there wasn’t a strict timeline and I was glad about that. I completed it, working my way through challenges and was successful. On my own.
This jigsaw is just a small example of mindset. I could have returned it and got my money back and thought nothing more of it. Instead, I took on the challenge based on ‘I can do this,’ and a jigsaw strategy. There were times when I was in deep and didn’t know where the next piece was going to go. It was as though I was swimming in a sea of unconnected jigsaw pieces but guess what – they all connect. It’s their job to connect with each other. I just had to work through the process to find out HOW and WHERE they connect.
This is what we do in business right? We have an idea for a project or initiative and there will be times when we are flying by the seat of our pants. We don’t know how or where to start but we have ourselves. It comes down to self-belief. Can we back ourselves?
It starts with small actionable steps. Creating a framework. Sometimes the complexity of a project or initiative is huge and can seem overwhelming. But we make a start by choosing what we feel confident doing first. Eventually we tackle the challenges and as we succeed, we grow – in confidence and self-belief.
The jigsaw puzzle still sits in its completed form on the dining room table. I haven’t pulled it apart yet because I want to savour its completed form and that I finished it despite the challenges. I know I’ll have to pull it apart eventually.
Jigsaw puzzles are also a great reminder about the illusion of permanence. Nothing is permanent. An idea, business success or money. Even your current mindset is impermanent.
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Sana Turnock is a business mindset trainer and facilitator. To learn more visit: Business Mindset Trainer | Keynote Speaker Perth | Sana Turnock (courageunravelled.com)
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Sana is a creative, intelligent and dedicated coach. She has a way of zoning into what is really important and drawing out interesting ways of achieving positive outcomes. She helps to set clear and realistic goals and is very patient throughout the coaching journey. Nikki Griffiths, MBA
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