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Writer's picturePhilip Klayman

Life Lessons Through a Puzzle

For Anna and I, 2013 was a life-altering year.  I typically call it the 'Year of Coffee,' as that is when our vision for using coffee to empower farmers, victims of injustice and neighbors began to materialize.  However, it could equally be called the 'Year of the Puzzle.'  That is certainly more accurate in describing how we felt considering most of our plans derailed and another plan began to take shape before our very eyes (as if of its own accord).  We were suddenly being handed numerous puzzle pieces: coffee contacts, vital information, entrepreneurial opportunity, humanitarian connections, pertinent wisdom and more.  Sounds exhilarating until you realize the puzzle still needs to be pieced together...and you have no clue what the final picture is.  

I have always enjoyed puzzles.  One of my fondest child-hood memories is working on a dog-shaped Labrador puzzle while visiting my grandparents in Florida.  That passion has continued on to today, yet it has taken on a more intimate role in my personal development since 2013.  

Most recently, Anna and I have been working on a Van Gogh 'Café Terrace at Night' puzzle.  It is a 1,000 piece puzzle and, though I have done puzzles of this magnitude before, this one is proving more difficult.  While working on the puzzle last night, I considered a secret to mastering puzzles...and life.

Initially, this puzzle looked easy.  But upon further review, the complexity of the challenge became apparent.  Because this puzzle is an oil painting, the color changes are incredibly nuanced, lethargically shading in and out of subtle hues.  To give a simple example, the yellow café in the painting can hardly be defined strictly as 'yellow,' for within that 'yellow' are other 'yellows' that intricately weave together unnoticed at first glance.  

Ten minutes in, the task suddenly looked daunting, and it remained intimidating through many nights of struggle.  However, something peculiar started happening after days of intense FOCUSI began seeing things I did not see before.  For example, there is a faint red line that comes down the middle of the starry night.  More so, some of the stars have small red dots in them, whereas others do not.  Also, there is a slight smudge on one of the window shutters above the bright 'yellow' café; whether an unintentional miscue of the brush or a purposeful outlier, I am unsure.  

This close-knit bond to the puzzle continued to grow as I spent numerous nights focusing on it.  Originally, I had to attempt one section of the puzzle at a time.  But suddenly, I did not have to work on just one part of the puzzle; I could grab ANY puzzle piece out of the box and have a good idea of where it goes.  Through the power of FOCUS, the puzzle started coming along faster and faster (and not simply because there were less and less pieces).  

How Much You Focus

Focus is a level of concentrated attention.  Though hardly measurable, there is a scale for 'how much' you focus at a given time.  Just think about the last time you surfed facebook while watching 'The Office.'  One of those did not get your full attention (and if you were watching the episode where Michael burns his foot on a Foreman grill, than it was most likely facebook that did not receive your full attention).  We only have so much attention to give and we determine what to invest it in.  Every night I work on this puzzle, I am giving it a large portion of my attention.  If I attempted this puzzle each night while watching The Office, I doubt I would be as far along, nor would I find the puzzle getting easier.  

Focus is a form of meditation, where you deliberately ignore other attention grabbing items, and intentionally pay attention to one item.  Oppositely, divided attention is partial focus and is sadly common in our culture. 

Giving your full attention to a task or a person in a given moment renders incredible results.  But focus is more than a concentration of attention...it is also a duration of attention.

How Long You Focus

Many people consider the quality with which they focus, but not many people attribute an endurance with which they focus.  The Van Gogh puzzle had my full attention on night one...but it was still difficult on night two.  It took repetition and perseverance of full-attention for the power of focus to take effect.  

Focus is a marathon, not simply a sprint.  Yet, I see many people try to improve their focus only in regards to intensity and not exercising a form of persevering focus.   

The level of attention and the length of attention are both integral ingredients to optimal focus.  

What would optimal focus look like in our marriages?

What would optimal focus look like in our churches?

What would optimal focus look like in our businesses?  

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