Anyone else tend to fall in love with puzzles during wintertime? The recent puzzle my wife and I challenged ourselves to seemed to have similar shades of color all throughout the picture. The start of the puzzle was painful (at least for me) – trying to figure out what section to start with, separating colors that all too often look similar in shade of color, not to mention the mental anguish of seeing hundreds of puzzle pieces all mixed up into confusion.
Lucky for me, my wife is a puzzling stud and helped get a good start to some of the sections starting to piece together. It was a slow and rough start but once we started seeing more of the sections come together, we could feel momentum pick up. As more pieces of the puzzle start to connect, more of the picture starts to take shape and there becomes less and less puzzle pieces left to sift through. As more pieces connect, more momentum picks up and the easier it becomes to piece together the remaining pieces.
As we embark on something new, we often follow the learning curve of the puzzle world. The start feels like a blank slate with hundreds of pieces all scattered in confusion. Slowly, some of the puzzle pieces come together in the beginning. Momentum is slow to pick up, but progress is being made. Soon you feel the momentum start to pick up as more pieces start coming together and large pictures form. It’s rough to start but once the momentum starts rolling, your ability to use the puzzle pieces you’ve already put together to then build on connecting more of the pieces amplifies.
When we’re trying something new – could be at work, eating or workout plan, learning a new topic – there will be plenty of moments of frustration, especially at the beginning where there’s little to no puzzle pieces connected. Connecting the puzzle pieces is typically not quick and easy for things that will be meaningful to you. There’s no cheat code for the pieces to magically come together.
The truth lies in the fact momentum is hard to gain at the start, but it will come. Right now, there’s most likely something you’re trying to improve in your life and you’re to a point where connecting puzzle pieces is painful. It’s slow, draining, tiring. Know the momentum will come to those willing to stay focused on continuing to connect the pieces. It may not come as quick as you want but the puzzle pieces will eventually connect. It’s a question of whether you’re willing to endure the difficulties that come with putting the puzzle pieces together.
You never know how soon that rush of momentum will be coming around the corner – don’t stop but instead, push through understanding that the rush of momentum will at some point come. With that rush of momentum will also be the beauty that comes when so many pieces come together. Keep persevering to connect more puzzle pieces to see the beauty of what you can accomplish.
Take your step: Identify an area in your life where you’ve set out to improve, but right now you feel a little lost and unsure how this success will come together. Acknowledge the reality that piecing together the success is extremely difficult, especially in the beginning. That’s our reality but our reality also is for those that continue to push forward and persevere, momentum will be waiting to help take you to the success you’re striving for. Keep your mind focused on embracing the difficulty, grow through this difficulty, and then embrace the momentum that soon will be coming.