The Puzzle Pieces

Do you ever feel like something is missing in your life?  This is such a common and ingrained feeling, so deeply rooted that it feels more like instinctual, even primal, doesn’t it?  No matter what we accomplish, what accolades we collect, how much money is in the bank, this feeling stays, and we remain hungry.  This is why people are perpetually chasing happiness.

Usually, we think the missing pieces of our lives are material and we just need to grow our collection of things.  But we all know better, don’t we?  Material things don’t bring lasting happiness.  What if we are like jigsaw puzzles, and every psychological reaction was pointing to what piece is missing?  Usually, when we have a negative reaction, we run the other way.  If we see an attribute in another person that is a turn-off, we go out of our way to ignore them.  If someone has wronged us in some perceived way, we turn our backs to them.  What if all of these things are the very parts that will make us whole?

Think about this – do you feel lighter when you release something that has been bothering you?  Do you feel more boundless when you stop giving your power away, and when you stop letting others have power over you?  This is the proof.  We think when we hold on to some resentment, we are exercising our personal rights to feel however we want to… this is a funny way to think.  Wouldn’t you rather be blissful than begrudging?  We think holding on to things is our due, but it’s a limitation we place on our boundlessness.  So, ask yourself honestly again, do you feel lighter when you let go?

Our feelings, likes and dislikes, and preferences are a reflection of what lives inside.  When we have negative reactions, that means whatever triggered our lives inside.  If it wasn’t there, we wouldn’t react.  It’s just a simple fact.  That’s why two people can have such varying reactions to the same event.  Life’s happenings are neutral.  We are the ones who decide what they mean, and if it’s good or bad.  It’s all inside.

So, if you want to feel whole, find your triggers.  Those are the missing puzzle pieces.  The very things you are running away from are the lessons you need.  That annoying neighbor is the one you need to bless.  That person who hurt you is the one you need to forgive.  That person you hate is the one you need to love.  But first apply all this to yourself.  You need to forgive yourself and love yourself.

And how do you know if you’re making progress?  Each missing puzzle piece of your life usually comes with a tear.  It’s ok to cry, each tear is another brick that falls away from the wall of ego that you’ve built around yourself.  Tears are the words and language of the heart.  Washington Irving said, “There is a sacredness in tears.  They are not the mark of weakness, but of power.”