The Encouragement Express Newsletter presents "Working the Puzzle of Personal Development"
The Encouragement Express
"Bringing you encouragement from the simple things in life"
The Express Way
AI watercolor picture created by me!
Working the Puzzle of Personal Development
Ok. I’ll confess. I’m not a fan of puzzles.
They stress me out.
Trying to find a puzzle piece that’s playing hide and seek is not my idea of fun.
How many times were you in the closing seconds of working your puzzle, only to discover that the last piece is nowhere to be found?
But while I’m puzzled at puzzles, my wife thrives on them!
Right now, I’m eyeballing one of her artistic masterpieces – a glued 1,000-piece snowman that’s staring back at me as he rests on an easel by the front door.
I’ll soon scoot him under a bed until next year’s cold winter blast.
He’ll resume his position as the coolest puzzle in the house when I bring him out of hibernation.
Puzzles.
They offer multiple benefits.
For some people they’re stress reducers.
And there’s an argument to be made that working puzzles are calisthenics for the brain that may ward off dementia.
For some puzzle enthusiasts, working a puzzle is right up there with going to a concert.
Then, puzzles can be interpreted as an expression of art without using the strokes of a pen, pencil, or brush.
So … for all the puzzle assemblers out there, let me introduce you to someone special – John Spilsbury, the inventor of puzzles!
Let’s take a trip back in time.
Imagine you’re in London and it’s 1762.
It’s raining.
On the streets of London, you observe that there’s an expanse social barrier between the wealthy and well - everyone else.
Keep in mind that this is the era of “The British Industrial Revolution.”
Children as young as 4 or 5, who aren’t from the royal line or upper crust, are working with their families trying to eke out a living.
They’re treated harshly and categorized as “property.”
The educational opportunities for most British kids are nonexistent.
However, palace kids are enjoying the privilege of lapping up knowledge in history, literature, and geography.
Spilsbury, an expert in cartography, wanted children to learn geography.
So, he glues one of his maps on a piece of wood and delicately cuts each country from the map, resulting in a “Dissect,” the given name for today’s jigsaw puzzles.
Today, when children and adults fidget with cardboard puzzle pieces, they owe their finished project to John Spilsbury.
But in all the maze of puzzle pieces, is there a lesson about personal development? A lesson that’ll continually push your self-growth upward?
Sure, there’s the message of connectivity. Just as every piece must be connected to complete a puzzle, you and I should network with others to enjoy opportunities we’d not have otherwise. Opportunities that’d encourage personal development.
Or think about the lesson of cooperation. Joining hands to complete a puzzle can teach you about cooperation. Cooperation … working together with others … relationships, is a valued personal development skill.
Or maybe the focus should be on the significance of each puzzle piece. Each piece is unique and cannot be replaced. Your full personal development is tied to all your positive skills and traits. Use each one.
But the headliner in my post is about PATIENCE.
Anyone who’s engineered a puzzle has exercised patience.
Combining like pieces together takes patience.
Forming the border of puzzles takes patience.
Putting it all together TAKES A LOT OF PATIENCE.
And developing our skills and talents to go forward in life, to excel in our various fields of practice, requires patience.
You and I won’t achieve this in a day, a month, or even in a year.
Skillfully putting the pieces together daily = excellence in personal development.
And that requires PATIENCE.
Principle
Your personal development is a marathon requiring patience.
Plan
Patiently take small incremental steps in your personal development journey. By doing this you’ll be able to celebrate each skill and move forward to the next one. Tackling all skills at once promotes impatience. That’d be a grave mistake.
A Positive Approach to Follow
Remember that patience is like a guardrail, protecting you from crashing into the wall of discouragement in your personal development journey.
A Podcast
Listen to this podcast by Lewis Howes on "Are you a patient person?"
I'm Howell Bigham, and I'm the writer behind all the posts.
Are you looking for powerful principles to guide you in building strong relationships, enviable work habits, and unbelievable personal growth? Then you're at the right site!
In The Encouragement Express you'll discover awesome lessons hidden in objects that you use daily. You'll meet fascinating people from the past who invented these often overlooked creations.
You'll receive a Principle, a Plan, a Positive Approach, and a Podcast in each newsletter.
You'll also get a spiritual Vitamin E(ncouragement) for personal growth, motivational quotes from mouths of the past, a word for the week, and motivational music!
If you want positive, life-building stories to kick-start your day, you'll love The Encouragement Express!
Vitamin E(ncouragement)
Here's your weekly spiritual vitamin!
"Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord."
-Psalm 27:14
Motivating Mouths
"He that can have patience can have what he will."
- Benjamin Franklin
Word of the Week
"Indefatigability" - always determined and energetic in trying to achieve something and never willing to admit defeat.
-Cambridge Dictionary
Moving Music
Listen to Alabama sing ""I'm in a Hurry (And Don't Know Why)"
