Trust the Process
I play a daily game called Knot Words. I describe it as a Sudoku - Crossword Puzzle.
While I am a word game junkie - this one tests me in a different way than Scrabble or Wordle.
About this game: Knotwords is a minimal and elegant logic puzzle — with words. The rules are simple: arrange the letters in each section so every word is valid, across and down. Each puzzle may seem difficult at first — but like all my favorite newspaper puzzles, it gets easier as you progress. Each step guides you naturally towards the solution.
My AHA Every Time
On Mondays... the puzzle is very simple...you can do it in less than 30 seconds. It gets progressively more complex day by day with the board getting bigger and the way they group letters in sections making things more perplexing. By the time you get to Sunday it can take 15-20 minutes.
As an impatient puzzler... this is a real test for me on Saturdays and Sundays... to slow down... make some assumptions... and see where it takes me.
It never fails... that I reach a few moments where the way the letters are falling makes no logical sense to me in some areas but works for others. That is when I whisper to myself...trust the process... in other words let it all play out until you can see the bigger picture. You need to be open to seeing things differently than you have them right now.
It's a tough pill for me to swallow every time because I want it to make sense and I want to see it immediately. I also get stuck in word... or letter "norms" where I keep thinking... it HAS to be that... the letters don't go together any other way... but yet... they can... and they do. Like this morning. In the end.. the word going down was FUNDED. I had made the assumption...based on the letters in the section highlighted in RED that the word ended in NDED (the right assumption as it turns out). That left me with the word being FENDED or FUNDED. That meant the word across ended in UES or SUE or EUS. None of those options seemed great... so I went to another part of the board to start to fill it in. When I saw the word ADIEUS - I smiled... because as usual... I had to trust the process and wait to see how everything else fell into place to see that the word was one that I did not expect... yet made perfect sense once I saw it all together.
In Closing...
It's a light and fluffy analogy for a Saturday morning and I know simply "Trusting the Process" isn't the answer every time... so don't come at me.
What I would say is that it's easy to get stuck in mental patterns, whether in games or life, because we assume there’s only one "right" way forward.
It is a good reminder for all of us..
that sometimes critical thinking... assumptions and experience can only get you so far until you run into something that causes you to question the direction you have taken
take a step back and look at things from a different direction as the full picture starts to take shape
don't get so caught up in your current way of thinking that you are not open to seeing a new solution the problem
trust the process... things will come together in the end even if it wasn't how you first saw it... it may be even better than you imagined
As the game says... "Each step guides you naturally towards the solution"... the key is to keep going... one step at a time!
Leadership Questions of the Week for YOU
When faced with challenges in puzzles or life, how do you typically handle moments of uncertainty or frustration? Do you trust the process, or do you find yourself stuck in rigid thinking?
Can you recall a time when stepping back and looking at a situation from a different perspective helped you find a solution you hadn’t initially considered? What did you learn from that experience?
How often do you make assumptions—about people, situations, or outcomes—and how do those assumptions impact your ability to see the bigger picture or embrace unexpected possibilities?
In what areas of your life could you benefit from slowing down, being more patient, and letting things unfold naturally instead of trying to force an immediate solution?
How do you balance critical thinking, experience, and intuition when solving problems or making decisions? Are there situations where you could rely more on trusting the process rather than overthinking?
Thanks for reading….and remember…YOU make a difference!
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