There is a you-shaped space in the jigsaw puzzle of the world
Sometimes, we all need to hear this: there is a you-shaped space in the jigsaw puzzle of the world. Your uniqueness is valued. You are enough.
Jigsaw
I write this because yesterday I was the person who needed to hear this. I was doing some research for a book I’m writing, and was reading a book that covered quite a bit of the same ground. The author had much greater qualifications and experience than I; it was a noticeably more learned book than mine. Yet for all this it was lacking in humanity, and it contained puzzles that I had solved.
I was getting downhearted, wondering whether I should abandon my lame endeavour that paled so badly in comparison. Suddenly a light went on—there is a me-shaped piece of the jigsaw, and there is a place for me in the world.
Moral
The moral of the story, for me, was: do not underestimate your uniqueness. You have a unique set of skills, a unique vision; your unique experiences. They form a tapestry of you-ness that no one else can replicate.
Do not underestimate your uniqueness. You have a unique set of skills, a unique vision; your unique experiences. They form a tapestry of you-ness that no one else can replicate.
There are as many perspectives as there are people. No matter whether you’re the CEO of a multi-national or someone struggling to find work due to mental health issues, whether you’re a Harvard Scholar or flunked high school, whether you’ve spent your whole life in the same space or are brand new to it, you’ll see things that no one else will.
Guru
All of these things go into shaping the jigsaw piece that you are. Cherish them; even the seemingly broken parts that you know need work. We all know these parts are our greatest teachers. Success teaches little; failure is a guru.
Every time we learn from our failures, change and improve, our jigsaw piece becomes a little more colourful. It catches the eye more amongst the sea of pieces looking to find their place. But sometimes we need to let go of the need to change and just recognise that, wherever we are in our journey from cardboard box to completed puzzle, we are enough.
There is a you-shaped space in the jigsaw puzzle of the world. Only you can fit that space.
Photo: Jigsaw by Federico Rebeschini on Flickr.