Putting the Pieces Together

Part of my work in the past couple of years has been to help others process big life decisions such as what school should they go to, what career path would be best, or whether to stay in a current job. Often, they are looking for the straightest line to follow to get to their goal. If I’ve learned anything in my life is that there is no such thing as a linear journey. In many ways, our lives are like a 1000-piece puzzle. Sometimes you try to figure out the corners and boundaries. Other times you work on a section that seems to be obvious. Then, we jump over to sorting by color or patterns. Only with time do sections begin to emerge. At certain moments, something catches our eyes for the first time, and we make a connection between two totally different areas. With patience and commitment, the countless pieces coalesce into something that has form and meaning.

The flaw in this analogy, though, is that we don’t have the outside box to tell us what the end result will be. That however gives us freedom to adjust the outcome as we go along. So, as we wrestle with next steps in our lives, it may be helpful to put all the pieces we presently know on the table, take a hard look at what has come together so far, and sort through various other pieces. Don’t be afraid to step away from what you can see clearly at the moment to explore unknown options. It is in those situations where we can discover deeper understandings of the big picture. Despite the uncertainty and disconnectedness we can feel in the process, we need to remember that in time we will see what we are becoming.