14 Valuable Life Lessons I Learned From Doing Jigsaw Puzzles (After Many Years…)

Last Updated on January 25, 2024 by Gamesver Team and JC Franco

This life is like a jigsaw puzzle; you’ll need all of the small pieces to see the big picture. This minuscule sliver may appear inconsequential, but it could be a small piece of heaven. Playing puzzles has taught me a lot of lessons over the years.

Some of the life lessons I’ve learned from playing jigsaw puzzles over the years include learning to take it slow, setting boundaries, trying different angles if the first try doesn’t work, studying the bigger picture, and being open to advice and new points of view.

These are just a few of the expected life lessons from puzzle building.

Let’s take a look at 14 valuable life lessons I have learned after many years of doing Jigsaw Puzzle

1. One Piece At A Time

Just like our life, puzzles include many diverse components. Relationships, personal development, career, school, and self-care, to mention a few, are difficult to focus on all at once! It’s crucial to keep in mind that we can’t do everything.

If we’re focused on getting everything done right now, the truth is that we’ll get a lot less done and be a lot more agitated! Our minds are occupied, and we are unable to devote the necessary attention to each portion. The game taught me to take things one step at a time in life.

2. Borders First

The majority of individuals begin solving a puzzle with the border. When doing a puzzle, you must first clear a space large enough to assemble it and figure out where each piece goes. The border demarcates a sacred place in which you are preparing to construct this masterpiece. 

The border of a jigsaw reminds me a lot of the boundaries we set in our own lives. Boundaries are necessary to keep us focused on what is essential to us and our lives while also protecting our rights. Our limits keep us from becoming a people pleaser and allowing things to get in the way of our life puzzle. Boundaries have helped me to stay focused on what I needed to do to improve my life.

3. Trying Something Different To Make Things Work

There are times when a piece of the puzzle appears to be difficult to solve. Finally, we just start moving the pieces about in strange ways until we find something that works. This is also true in terms of figuring out life: we must step outside of our comfort zones and attempt new things! 

The next thing you discover could be your true calling, a hidden talent. Don’t be concerned if the pieces don’t fit together perfectly; just keep experimenting and learning! We never know what will go well with what. 

4. Know What You Are Making

Could you picture receiving a box of puzzle pieces with no idea how the puzzle will come together? This is how life might feel if we aren’t sure what kind of life we want to construct for ourselves or where to begin. Fortunately, we can create the life we want. 

Above my workstation, I have a vision board that serves as an image of my full life jigsaw, complete with objectives, desires, and vacation destinations, to mention a few! It is much easier to plan and begin putting the parts together once we know what we are making. Here’s where you can get your free vision board planning document.

5. Use The Help You Have

What if you decided not to utilize the picture on the box to aid you in solving the puzzle? This is essentially what we are doing when we opt not to use the resources given to us in life. It can be difficult to develop our vision for our lives, but we must remember that we are not alone. 

Using a notebook, meditation, or a nice book, take some time to reflect on yourself. Treatment is also a fantastic resource because the goal of therapy is to assist you in becoming the person you desire. Our support systems can also assist us, as long as we can communicate with them and let them know we require assistance.

6. Every Piece Counts

When working on a puzzle, it’s easy to forget to give oneself credit until it’s all put together. However, it is critical to acknowledge the hard effort we are putting in at every stage! 

Every jigsaw piece that fits together correctly is a step forward, and the puzzle would be incomplete without it! We should be proud of our achievements in puzzles, just as we should be proud of our achievements and victories in our daily life.

7. Have Fun

There are two main approaches to solving a puzzle: enjoying the adventure and ride, or hurrying to create the masterpiece and stressing yourself out along the way. Something same, I believe, can be stated about life and how important our mindset is. 

It’s critical to maintain your sense of wonder from childhood and to keep life enjoyable! Discover what makes you happy and make it a point to include more of it in your life; you deserve it! Life, like the puzzle, can appear to be an intimidating mess or a joyful adventure.

8. You Can’t Be The First All The Time

I enjoy being on top of my game. I’d get into a groove, putting so many pieces together that I felt like nothing could stop me. It could take an hour to grab just one piece at other times. But that’s fine.

You’re high on adrenaline when you’re on a winning streak. It makes no difference if it’s a crossword problem, a marathon, or a business deal. It’s as if it’s a drug. You can’t be on it all of the time, either. Accept the fact that is how things are. When things calm down, you have more time to savor your small victories and plan for your next winning streak.

9. Go-Ahead To Try The Weird Thing

I was on the verge of giving up on occasion. It would take a long time to find a piece that fits. Then, out of nowhere, success!

All it took was trying on that strange garment that seemed like it wouldn’t fit anywhere.

Take a risk. So what if the item isn’t a good fit? At the very least, you tried. It’s not uncommon for “the strange thing” to surprise you with how nicely it fits.

10. Have a Vision

I once attempted a puzzle without using a photo as a guide. As you put the image together, you had to make educated guesses about what it would look like. It’s not obvious; I never got around to finishing it.

I could always check the picture on the box to verify if I was on the right track with my Beatles puzzle. It’s critical!

You must have a mental vision of what you want to achieve in life, just as you must in business. A target. There is a goal. You can envision the result. The more clearly you perceive it, the more likely you are to achieve it.

11. Dream Big and Shut Out Negativity

I had my misgivings when I first started the puzzle. I was enamored with the image and the colors, but everyone around me, as well as myself, kept reminding me that this was not a 300 or 500-piece jigsaw. This was a 2000 piece puzzle; that’s a lot for someone who only does one puzzle a year. Who cares, though? I completed the task!

In all facets of life and business, I am someone who dreams big. I am an idealist who often visualizes success. Why was I allowing my doubts to be fueled by negativity? So, I blocked out all of the negativity — both outside and inside – and completed my puzzle.

12. Success = Timing + Patience

So, there’s a little more to success than that. However, time and patience are crucial, sometimes I’d get into a “flow” of discovering and linking parts at breakneck speed. The groove slowed at other moments. It’s exhilarating to have one accomplishment after another, but it’s not as easy to keep going when things calm down.

Don’t give up hope. Sometimes I’d try on a piece, certain it wouldn’t fit, but to my amazement, it did. Experiment. Take a risk. Patience is required. If you stay with it, the pieces will fall into place.

13. Sometimes It’s The Big Picture, Other Times it’s The Pieces

The heads of John and Paul were surprisingly simple to assemble. All of the other “big picture” elements, such as the colors, tickets, edges, and the Fab Four, came together wonderfully.

I battled the most near the end when I was left with a wide blank space to fill. At first glance, the pieces appeared to be identical. It greatly aided me when I began to examine the various shapes more attentively, noticing that some were more rounded, others heart-shaped, and so on.

We often say in business that the details will kill you. My videos usually begin with a storyboard. I set it aside and then returned to it, bit by bit, to add to it. I’m always adding details to make sure nothing gets missed.

14. When Things Look Chaotic, Take a Deep Breath and Just Start

My sister, husband, and son all promptly warned me that it was “too much” when I first dumped 2000 puzzle pieces on the table, “Perhaps they’re right!” I reasoned in my brain. What the hell was I thinking? Don’t know if I can return it? “How do I even begin?”

But then I simply began. I flipped all of the pieces over and began grouping edges with edges, blue with blue, white with white; that massive mess began to appear more manageable pretty quickly. More options are available. And, most significantly, I was the one who was doing it.

I could see my little, intentional acts having an impact slowly, and I recall thinking after a meeting with a possible client how badly I desired that client. However, the endeavor was fraught with difficulties: the tale, the décor, the coaching. I’m not sure where to begin. I scribbled down every concept, pieced it together, and it rapidly became workable.

Last Word

Even though each person’s life is a unique jigsaw puzzle, we can all benefit from these lessons as we try to piece ours together. We are not alone on our trip, and we may also assist others with their challenges! 

Being kind, encouraging others, and lending a sympathetic ear can help more than we realize. It’s important to remember that it’s fine to take a break and look after yourself. You can keep putting the puzzle pieces together and creating the lovely life you deserve!