When it comes to Christmas or birthdays, there is generally someone who buys you a gift that stands out from all the others.
This year, I was gifted a jigsaw.
I haven’t done a jigsaw for a very long time.
My first thoughts were “why have I been given this?!”
“When am I going to have the time to do this?”
“I won’t be able to do it!”
“It looks far too complicated!”
I could feel the resistance – all the barriers as to why doing a jigsaw wasn’t for me.
Then on a rainy New Years Day, I opened the box…
The jigsaw turned out to be THE best present I had been given in a very long time.
For 3 days (and late into the night), there were no screens. No notifications. Just pieces scattered across the table. Some obvious. Some frustratingly similar. Many that didn’t seem to fit anywhere at first.
It struck me how many times I use the jigsaw analogy when I am coaching, especially when it comes to supporting someone in their professional life.
Think about your career… when you first start out, you don’t have the full picture.
You’re handed a box of pieces – education, early roles, side projects, mistakes, unexpected opportunities- and told to “figure it out.”
Naturally, we search for the edge pieces: clear job titles, linear paths, roles that feel safe and well-defined. They give us structure and comfort.
But careers aren’t built from edges alone.
Some pieces click into place quickly. Others sit off to the side for years, seemingly irrelevant. A role that didn’t work out. A skill you thought you’d never use again. A sideways move that felt like a step back at the time.
Then one day, the picture shifts…
A new opportunity appears, and suddenly that “random” piece fits perfectly.
The experience you doubted becomes the connector.
The mistake many of us make is forcing pieces where they don’t belong -staying in roles because they look right on the box, even when they don’t fit our picture.
Or perhaps assuming a piece is useless just because we can’t place it yet.
A jigsaw only comes together when you trust the process, stay curious, and allow the picture to evolve.
And sometimes, stepping back from the table is exactly what helps you see where the next piece belongs.
If this new year you are curious to find a missing piece in some area of your professional life I would love to hear from you. 🧩
Image source: justice.govt.nz
Author: Ministry of Justice of New Zealand
