Life Lessons from Jigsaw Puzzle

Life is puzzling, isn’t it? We are all trying to put together these different pieces in hopes of creating something beautiful in the end. All of our puzzles are the same, yet different. We love putting together puzzles and in this stay-at-home season we have found them to be a great addition to our family and self-care routine. As we are doing our latest puzzle which I do have to say is the toughest one we have attempted so far,  I could not help but think of the lessons we could learn about life from a jigsaw puzzle. Here are some of the lessons;

Whats seems impossible…requires a single step 

When you first unpack a puzzle and put all the pieces on a table it feels like they will never turn into the picture on the box. Our latest puzzle feels that way; impossible. The pieces come in entirely different shapes and the color variations are mind-boggling. But as the saying goes; A Journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. All it takes is to put one piece to get started. I feel the same is true with life, insurmountable tasks and seasons can be overwhelming but a single step/action will get you started and on the right track.

Borders First

I start solving my puzzle like most people-with the borders. When creating a puzzle you have to clear an area big enough for you to put it together and figure where every piece fits. The border defines a space where you will use to build the masterpiece. A puzzle’s border reminds me of the boundaries we have in our lives. It’s important to have boundaries so we do not get distracted from what is important. Our boundaries help us to ensure we do not turn into people-pleasers at the expense of our building our own lives.

One Piece At A Time/Every Piece Counts

Puzzles have a lot of different components- just like our lives. It can be hard to focus on everything at once; work, personal development, family, business. It is important to remember we can do anything but not everything. Trying to do everything at once often times becomes overwhelming and I end up getting nothing done, which then stresses me out some more. Puzzles work one piece at a time and so many times so does life.

With a puzzle, it is easy to not give yourself credit for your work until it is all put together. What is important is to recognize that putting every piece in place is a win and a step in the right direction otherwise the puzzle could never be complete. So it is in life we need to celebrate little victories in our everyday life which we so often overlook. Reading a chapter of a book is a victory and celebrating these victories are a crucial part of leading a gratitude-filled life.

Stepping away

There were times when I couldn’t tell one color or form from another and stepping away from the puzzle gave me a set of new eyes every time. The same goes for life; taking a walk, making a snack, or leaving something until the next day can make a world of difference. The challenge here is to know when to step away and understand that stepping away is a good thing. Learn to listen to your body, mind, and heart when they say TAKE A BREAK and respect them.

Have Fun

When you are on a roll enjoy it. Just as in life there are good and bad times in puzzle making. I would find one piece then another and then another and it would just flow and it all felt super exciting and then I hit puzzle drought and I couldn’t find anything. In life, we all have seasons when things are going great and then everything goes wary and we all know when it rains it pours. Ecclesiastes  3:1; There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heaven. The trick is in accepting the season you are in without fighting and trying to avoid it. 

Do you do jigsaw puzzles? If yes I could love to hear the lessons you are learning. Leave a comment below.

Below is the finished picture of our first 1000piecer. It turned out our son ate the 2 missing pieces, as life would have it expect the unexpected. 🙂