LESSONS FROM MY VIKING SHIP PUZZLE

I recently completed this 1,500-piece puzzle of a viking ship and I love to brag about it. While working on this puzzle, my philosophical brain kept making connections with real life experiences. In this article I share the top five lessons I learned.

LESSON ONE: THE BIGGER PICTURE

With a puzzle, you know how the end is supposed to look. You see the bigger picture, but you still need to search for and find the pieces, and figure out where they fit to bring it all together. In life, it is good to have the bigger picture in mind; that is how you know where you are going. Don’t lose yourself in the day-to-day without knowing your ultimate goal. Where do you aspire to be in the next year, the next five years, or the next ten years? What do you want to be remembered for in life?

Take your time to reflect on this and write it down. Remain flexible and open-minded, as our needs and desires may change. Just having the bigger picture in mind does not get the job done; you must do the work required. Learn the skills and lessons you need to reach your goal: find a job, network with the right people, start a business, pick up a hobby, enroll in a course, attend school, or become part of a community. Nothing will happen unless you take action. While things might eventually align for you, isn't it preferable to be in the driver's seat rather than merely letting life happen to you?

LESSON TWO: THE RIGHT FIT

When a puzzle piece does not fit, you don’t blame the piece, and you don’t blame the spot. You do not think there is something wrong with either of them; you just know the right one is out there, and you keep searching. Sometimes, just because you don’t get the job, or the promotion, or do not fit in with a group somewhere, does not mean there is something wrong with you; it just means you have not found where you belong. It is not fair to you to force yourself to fit, and it is not fair to the person who is the right fit because you take that opportunity away from them; it’s not fair to the place you are trying to fit because you deprive them of the right person. Basically, it does not serve anyone when we force people to fit in places they do not belong. The world would be a better place if we all found where we belonged.

LESSON THREE: THE MISSING PIECE

Sometimes, you have a group similar of pieces, and you know they are connected, but you haven’t yet found the one or two pieces that will bring it all together. If you keep searching, you will eventually find it, and it will all make sense. In life, sometimes you are on the right path and you know it; things are just not very clear or adding up, and it can be frustrating. But just be patient, keep searching, stay disciplined, and keep working hard on yourself. Once you find that missing piece, whether it's a person you will meet, a job you will find, or a place you will go, eventually, it will all make sense, and it will move at a speed you never imagined.

LESSON FOUR: SLOW IS FAST

Slow is fast, and fast is slow. You cannot rush through a 1,500-piece puzzle; brute force will only slow you down. Taking your time to identify the shapes and colors of the pieces, grouping them, and sometimes trying multiple similar pieces for a certain spot are all techniques that require time but keep you making consistent progress toward the bigger picture.

As a society, we are becoming impatient with increasing convenience. I see a lot of online courses promising years of experience in a short time: “become an expert data scientist in 6 weeks”, “master this skill in 12 days”, “it took me 5 years to learn this skill I will teach you in 15 minutes”. The truth is, you cannot buy experience. You might be able to pick up a skill as fast as possible, but you can only build the experience through practice. In everything you want to learn, take your time to do it the right way, and learn to slow down. Patience is a rare quality these days; learn to exercise it. A quote I like repeat to myself is “Stay disciplined, work hard, and be patient. Your time will come”.

LESSON FIVE: HAVE FUN WITH THE JOURNEY

Have fun with the journey; you already know how it ends. At some point in life, we will all die. Learn to enjoy the ups and downs because that is what life is all about. I didn’t buy this puzzle so I could finish it with ease; I wanted the challenge, and it was all the more satisfying when I finished it. Life would not be meaningful without trying times. It is the lows that make us appreciate the highs.