Puzzles are easier with Pictures

It's very hard to build a puzzle if you don't know what you are trying to put together. That's why the picture is on the front of the box.

Unfortunately, the puzzle of your career likely doesn't come with a finished image for you to use as a reference as you build it, so you have to give yourself grace when something unexpected happens. You didn't "miss" anything, you may have simply not known what you are piecing together.

I know that many people have been impacted over the last year with unexpected career changes. I personally know of many people in my network (ones who are likely reading this) who were caught off guard, when they suddenly discovered that puzzle they thought they were putting together wasn't going to look like they had imagined.

I also know that when I was laid off "effective immediately" in 2022, I found myself wondering how I'd missed all the signs. How I had been caught off guard. The truth was (and it is likely the same for you) that I hadn't missed the signs. I just hadn't put the pieces together right, because I didn't know what I was looking for.

For me (and hopefully you), understanding that my fate wasn't an unfinished career puzzle, and that I had the chance to envision a different picture on the front of my career box was empowering and exciting (not in the moment, of course, but in its right time).

So, if you are currently frustrated by your progress, confused about the puzzle you are putting together, or bored with pieces in front of you, maybe this will inspire you to Reimagine Your Work and shift your energy to building your new picture.