The imagery of a picture “speaks a thousand words” is common in our language. Video and pictures have captured both the hearts and minds of all of us on social media. It’s what we, more readily, pay attention to. They have overtaken the written word.
Yet the pictures I refer to in the title, are the incomplete ones we discover as we learn new things. As we focus on different things. As we try to create something that wasn’t around us the day before.
With certainty we proclaim our idea as being the solution to a problem. That what we believe is true. That it is the only way to get “there”. We feel good, at this point, that we have a complete picture, of not only the situation, but how our idea completes it.
What a big mistake this is! It’s only when we start putting in the work that we begin to see that there are things missing. As we continue forward, our picture begins to appear more incomplete even with our idea in it. We begin to find gaps and things we don’t know. New obstacles or challenges appear that were not evident when we began.
It ironically is the appearance of the incomplete picture that gives us the perspective needed to go further and deeper and the better chance for success.
Discovering our incomplete pictures is not meant to discourage us, but rather to give us hope that with more focus on areas that we have not paid any attention to before we have a better chance to succeed.
Most times, though, when we begin to see our incomplete pictures we respond with frustration and disappointment. The realization of how incomplete our picture is leads us to abandonment, or delay because we don’t know what to try next.
It’s precisely at this moment that we need to ask for help. Seek out another person’s opinion whose life experiences are different than our own. Collaborate with others. Listen to different ideas. And then try something different to help you overcome your feeling of wanting to abandon what you started.
I find that the limited world we travel in daily, is a more limiting factor than the level of skill we have. Each time you see a new incomplete picture — attack and don’t give up and feel sorry for yourself.
You might be surprised how much more you can achieve by going on the offense rather than sitting on the bench thinking about giving up. It’s your choice, always.