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

December 16, 2014

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”
– Frederick Douglass

Have you ever heard of “Sudoku?” Sudoku is a number puzzle requiring one to fill-in multiple squares with the correct numbers in a sequential order. Several of the squares are pre-filled which helps provide both a starting point and a challenge. In some of the more difficult puzzles, the answers don’t come easily and over-coming frustration is part of the fun. One of my hobbies is conquering the Sudoku puzzles in the daily newspaper. As the week progresses, the puzzles become increasingly more difficult with the weekend edition being the most difficult.

A friend of mine called me recently asking for advice in starting his new business. As many of you know first hand, starting a business can be frustrating at times and requires one to be patient and to “think outside the box” in order to get past certain stumbling blocks. I gave him the following “Sudoku puzzle” analogy in order to provide a different perspective. It is my belief that solving the puzzles parallels achieving success in both business and every day life. Many of you reading this post are entrepreneurial and likely understand the frustrations that come with the journey to success! Let me share with (and hopefully encourage!) you with what I shared with this young business person:

The purpose of the Sudoku puzzle is to provide both mental stimulation and challenge. During the “challenge,” one may find that they’re excessively frustrated. This reveals that one might not understand the purpose or the goal. If you don’t enjoy the puzzle or the challenge that comes along with it, then get out of the game! Persevering in something in which you find no pleasure or enjoyment rarely equates to success! More often than not, there is no satisfaction in “toughing it out” for something you despise. Do not waste your time or energy if there’s no love or passion in your pursuit. To do so is just plain stupid!

Ask yourself, “why am I starting this business?” If your goal is to merely fill in the squares of the puzzle, than just wait until tomorrows paper as it will already have the solution. But there is no joy in that pursuit as there was no “struggle” and there is no pride or satisfaction as the answers were given to you for free. This reminds me of those “privileged kids” we all grew up with. Some of them never had to work for what they had. However, the privileged kids whose parents made them work hard and appreciate what they earned typically went on to be just as, or even more successful, then their parents. Rich or poor, the “struggle” was the character builder that aided in their success.

The joy is struggling and figuring it out the hard way by using your whits and your grey matter to conquer the puzzle! The satisfaction and the exhilaration does not come when one fills-in the last few numbers. No, the thrill is discovering those one or two difficult numbers that wouldn’t seem to yield all the while knowing that those are the numbers that hold the key to completion!

In my next post, we will continue our discussion on how best to conquer the puzzle and further our goals by finding purpose in the struggle!

See you in the newspapers!