Complete the Jigsaw Puzzle Border First

A friend and I were visiting recently about indecisiveness in an otherwise decisive life.  With multiple life options in play, it was clear to me that in this life jigsaw puzzle, the borders weren't yet in place.  We sometimes forget that we need to complete the framework before we can successfully complete a project.

Jigsaw Puzzle

Life is overly full, incredibly interesting and quite rewarding.  And I was beginning to feel overwhelmed earlier this week. My to do list's 155 items were quickly supplemented with write-ins.  Not surprisingly, my stress level decreased once I captured and categorized the many things I need to do.  Before investing the time to plan, I felt like a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle that had just been dumped on the table.  Now I've found the picture on the box, turned over all the pieces and started to assemble the border.  Progress comes in many forms.  My jigsaw puzzle of responsibilities is taking shape beautifully.

Jigsaw Puzzle Calendar

Yesterday was the equivalent of working a jigsaw puzzle as I tried to match open dates in multiple cities and venues to accommodate 3 recurring internal meetings, 25 customer events, my outside board commitments, Julia's and Gar's graduations, Alley season performances and Kinkaid varisty lacrosse games.  It's invigorating to already have so many exciting things to anticipate in 2011.

Jigsaw Puzzle

Life's a jigsaw puzzle without a finished picture on a box.  Once the borders are in place, there's a framework for filling in the hundreds of interesting pieces. The borders establish boundaries for the picture that unfolds within. Each piece is interlocking, so the shape of one piece determines where the next piece fits.  With life's jigsaw puzzle, no two works in progress are exactly alike.