Conquering the Puzzle: The Struggle is the Purpose – Part Two

December 16, 2014

I just tossed this week’s Sudoku puzzle into the trash. Finally, I completed it. I didn’t keep it or pin it to the refrigerator because it was the “challenge” that I desired. The struggle was the purpose. Let me repeat that: THE STRUGGLE WAS THE PURPOSE!

If the struggle in business defeats your spirit and diminishes your drive, you are not an entrepreneur. Furthermore, you will continue to fail in business. Have you ever noticed that the challenges that frustrate losers have a tendency to motivate the winners? Which are you?

In Sudoku, the puzzle will solve itself as long as you don’t “force” the numbers. Follow the clues, use your logic, and let your skills find the answer. As a result, the puzzle comes together. Let the puzzle solve itself!

Now, take that same analogy and apply it in life and business. Do what you CAN and don’t fixate on the part you don’t understand. Solve whatever you can now. Similarly, the most successful people are not afraid to say, “I don’t know.” Of course, you can’t just say “I don’t know” and give up. Complete what you CAN and then learn about what you didn’t know. Success doesn’t require you to have all of the answers now but it does require you to use what you DO know…now! If you wait until you’ve got it all figured out, it might be too late. Someone else may have already solved the puzzle.

There are going to be many times when frustration seems to take over. When that happens, step away for a break; clear your mind and rejuvenate. Those of us with driven, type-A personalities do not like to step-away. We don’t like to take breaks. Rather, we tend to push harder. Many entrepreneurs “appear” to win by sheer will-power and refusal to be beaten. That’s noble but it is not realistic and it’s not how it works in the real-world in most cases.

Research has shown that long-term successful business men and women discovered early-on that stepping-away from their frustration point and giving their mind time to rest and reset can be most rewarding! Sometimes, a quick 20-minute power nap is all you need to recharge your batteries. Problems can often solve themselves following a moment of rejuvenation.

Here are a few examples of high-functioning, successful leaders who were also power-nappers:

• Napoleon
• Thomas Edison
• John F. Kennedy
• John D. Rockefeller
• Winston Churchill
• Lyndon B. Johnson
• Ronald Reagan

Each challenge you win will prepare you for the next difficult challenge. We all need regular reminders that life is not about making things as easy as possible. I’m sure you’ve often heard the phrase: “work smarter, not harder.” I disagree. I live by the motto: “work smarter and harder!”

Promoters of “big government” have convinced themselves that if politicians and bureaucrats controlled more of our lives and decisions, life would be easier. To the contrary, people don’t need easier puzzles…they need to get through the struggle and conquer the challenges! Can you imagine an NFL team rewarding itself by playing against a high school team because that’s easier? The reward of winning the Super Bowl is beating the best of the best teams in the league!

That’s how life and business are: each victory is a precursor for the next level of difficulty. Don’t look at difficulty and struggle as frustrations to avoid; look at them as a sign that you have indeed been successful and life is presenting you with another formidable opponent!

The struggle is the purpose!