Tuesday Thoughts | 26 November 2024 | Life's A Puzzle

Have you ever noticed the jigsaw puzzle pieces that appear, near my name on the cover of my books, in my ‘small actions, BIG IMPACTS’ mark, or even in the Favicon for my personal website (daniellerussell.ca)?

I’m guessing quite a few people are suddenly seeing little purple jigsaw pieces where they never noticed them before. This idea of connecting the dots, solving the puzzle and seeing the big picture, permeates much of what this newsletter, and my own personal mission, and values are all about.

In April of 2023 I revisited my Mission and Vision Statement, which had at that time been largely the same since a Productivity and Purpose workshop facilitated by my friend Mike Pietrzak, MA which I had attended in February of 2017.

In the April 4, 2023 edition of Tuesday Thoughts – Can Your Mission Drive Your Discipline? – I lay out not just my Mission: To Change the World, By Inspiring Actions, That Amplify My Impact; My Action Plan, which starts “To Connect Ideas and People” (also one of the tag lines from the headline of my LI profile BTW); and my Core Values, among them ‘Puzzles | Problem Solving | Solutions’.

Years before puzzles and puzzle imagery started to permeate my awareness of my personal brand, they had started to inform my art. Over 15 years ago, I picked up a paintbrush and rediscovered my love of making art for art’s sake – many of my early pieces featured alternating colours across a jigsaw inspired grid, it still appears from time to time, and I’ve been considering bringing it back as I look to rediscover some of the joy that seems to have been lost along the way.

Didn’t know I paint as a hobby? A few years ago, I removed most of the art from my personal website and professional presence, because I realized that if it kept feeling like “work” I couldn’t find the peace I needed in it. When I set up my current home office – around the time I converted my dining room into an art studio – I removed my easel from my office space and stopped displaying my own artwork where it is visible when I’m on video calls.

Successfully alternating colour blocks across adjoining jigsaw pieces, is in and of itself a puzzle at times, and tends to keep my mind occupied when it needs a break from focusing on a million and one things – its actually quite meditative, with the added bonus (when I’m working on a piece for a specific person) of giving me hours of time to really think about why I care about the person I am painting for.

Even before I started to paint with the jigsaw motif, I was obsessed with puzzles; there is a photo of me taken immediately following my second (or maybe third) birthday, sitting deep in concentration solving one of those wooden puzzles where each image fits in a different hole.

When I moved my puzzle collection into my aforementioned art studio, I ‘decluttered’ it a bit, donating, gifting and trading a couple of dozen boxes; but I still have a substantial collection, including more than one puzzle gifted to me by friends who know I LOVE puzzles. Especially art puzzles, at least 1000 pieces, if you are trying to figure out what to get me for Christmas this year.

I recently tried to do a black and white puzzle for the first time, it is the concept sketch for the colour puzzle on its reverse side; after a couple of weeks, I simply gave up. It was too hard to be a fun and relaxing activity; and this from someone who has solved one of the hardest puzzles of its time – a 1000-piece random cut of a Jackson Pollock painting.

I recently read the book Feel Good Productivity, one of the central tenants of which is, that we can overcome procrastination and inertia, and use less energy to do the same tasks if we can find a way to make them fun. Perhaps that is what I have been doing with my work and my brand as I have continued to find ways to embed the solving of puzzles into my job, and my art.

There are many ways to approach a problem (or task), most popular among them is breaking one large daunting task, down into smaller more manageable pieces. I would propose that if we see those pieces, and the entire problem set as a puzzle to be solved using our existing skills, and a bit of creativity, we can concur almost anything.

This week’s Call to Action, is to visualize a sticky problem as puzzle you can enjoy solving, start with the metaphorical edges, and build your way to success.

New and Noteworthy is a collection of things readers of #TuesdayThoughts might find interesting, important, or informative;

??Other Stuff I Did This Week (shameless self promotion): On Wednesday, Markham City Council appointed me to the Board of Destination Markham

???Hold These Dates: January 19, 2025 - Launch Event for the final book in the Tuesday Thoughts Companion Trilogy (Unionville, ON) - RSVP Today | January 20, 2025 - Official Launch Day for The Tuesday Thoughts Companion: A Year of Small Actions for Big Impact: Volume 3 | I'm looking for a handful of Speaking and Consulting Engagements through late 2024 and into 2025 to continue to make an impact. Details of my offerings are on my website daniellerussell.ca.

????♀?Cool Jobs (Paid and Volunteer): Senior Manager, Government & Community Relations @ Toronto and Region Conservation Authority h/t Judy Pfeifer, C.Dir | President and CEO @ CAMH Foundation h/t Kerry Kurczak-Siegel | Association Coordinator Touchpoint Association & Event Management h/t Alison Nash

?? Take Note: Laurier Arts Grads - the Faculty of Arts is marking its 100th year, check out opportunities to get involved #IAMLaurierArts

CALL FOR CONTENT: I crowd source 99% of what appears in New and Noteworthy, but I would love the help of the Tuesday Thoughts Community to identify content about you and for you. Got a cool new project? A Job Posting to Fill? Or just something you found interesting? DM me with a link.

I am a Certified Association Executive with over a dozen years of experience in leadership positions across Canada’s Not-for-Profit Sector, with deep ties in the Meetings and Events Industry. I use the art of storytelling in speech and writing to explain ideas, and to inform audiences and readers on a variety of topics. Learn more about how we can collaborate;

?? Consulting Services: I offer a suite of consulting services for Associations and Charities, and am interested in working with likeminded organizations on projects that contribute to better governance, leadership and the overall growth and health of Canada’s Association and Not-for-Profit Industries.

??? Speaker/Facilitator: I have spoken to standing room only crowds in the Association and Events sectors, connecting ideas and people; topics include, The Introvert Experience, Imposter Syndrome and Mentorship, EDI: Lived Experience as a BIPOC Woman in Leadership, Minimalism and Essentialism, Finding Your Voice and Building Your Unique Brand, Making and Impact, and the #TuesdayThoughtsFormula. NEW: Speaker Onesheet (ratesheet available on request)

??? Contributing Writer: I have written for Industry Publications and Blogs with a focus on the role of Associations, Volunteerism, and the Intersection of Not-for-Profit Management and many current social and economic trends. My inclination towards storytelling lends itself well to the style of Creative Non-Fiction.

?? The Tuesday Thoughts Formula: I am on a mission to inspire actions that amplify my impact, each week I follow the #TuesdayThoughtsForumla to deliver a call to action inspired by relevant stories; new this year, I’m bringing live demonstrations of the formula to the stage to help conference, event and meeting attendees tell their own stories that amplify their ROI of in-person attendance.

?? Check out my website daniellerussell.ca or email me: [email protected]

?? I’m on a Mission to?Change The World, By Inspiring Actions That Amplify My Impact! Despite my Introverted tendencies, if I have any hope of success this cannot be a solo affair. Join my community where I Connect People and Ideas;

?? Tuesday Thoughts: Join the #TuesdayThoughts community, subscribe to the Newsletter and get your copy of the #TuesdayThoughtsBook, The Tuesday Thoughts Companion: A Year of Small Actions for Big Impact. Like, Comment and Share to keep the conversation going, and amplify the thoughts that inspire you to action.

?? Let’s Be Friends: LinkedIn: Danielle S. Russell, CAE (she/her)