How to understand the purpose of everything: Your life is a perfectly designed puzzle

Throughout the course of our lifetime, many of us will experience all different types of life phases.  There will be times when we feel great and successful followed by times when we feel challenged and frustrated. Situations or events will arise that may cause us concern and distress, and we also may experience times where everything seems to be falling into place and happening just the way we desired.

We may go through a phase where we are more engaged and energized because we feel we know exactly which direction we want to go in, but then experience a phase where we feel we are running on the treadmill of life.  We are running fast at times and slow at others, but ultimately not going anywhere quickly or in a direction we desire.

It may seem natural to categorize each particular phase as either great and beneficial or negative and unproductive. We may feel that some of the things we have gone through were so challenging that we really would have preferred to not experience them at all.

The alternaview:
The alternaview is that every single thing we go through and every single thing we will experience is a part of our own perfectly designed puzzle and has a purpose. Everything we have learned, all the accomplishments and even all the disappointments, were exactly the things we needed at the precise moment we experienced them.  They helped us learn things about ourselves, about other people, about life and will also serve us well in the future.  They are essential pieces of our own perfect puzzle.

There is no need to question “Why is this happening to me?” because everything is a part of a larger scheme.  Everything is another piece of the puzzle and as our life unfolds, if we choose to take notice, the bigger picture will become clearer and easier to see. We will be able to appreciate how perfectly the pieces all fit together.  How things we have done were correlated and built off of each other.

By beginning to take a look at the bigger picture, we can develop a better understanding of why we had certain experiences in childhood, why we grew up in a certain neighborhood, why we chose certain friends, why we encountered particular challenges, why we had particular life experiences, and why we needed to learn all different types of lessons both the easy and hard way. Every piece fits together and forms the perfect whole.  Whether we choose to realize it or not, everything has its purpose and nothing is random.

How to use this alternaview:

1. Use the understanding that life is a perfect puzzle as motivation. It should allow us to maintain motivation to do what is currently in front of us since we realize everything is important and a part of the puzzle.  For example, if you have a job that is unfulfilling and not rewarding, you can realize it too has a purpose, (perhaps several) and is a part of your puzzle.  Perhaps you are supposed to learn how important it is to do something you like.  Maybe it is supposed to serve as motivation for you to kick yourself into a higher gear and go after what you really want.  Perhaps you are supposed to learn tolerance and patience (because your boss drives you crazy).  There could be hundreds and even thousands of reasons, but the reality is that it is a part of your puzzle that you need.  There is something to be learned and taken away from the situation.  You just have to take a step back, look at it from the right perspective and take notice.

2. Use the understanding that life is a perfect puzzle to strengthen your acceptance. When we are able to look at everything in our life as a piece of the perfect puzzle, it is much easier to manage through those times where we encounter challenges. Although there may be times where things feel like they are overwhelming and very difficult to get through, we will be in a better position to accept any circumstances when we realize they are in important part of our puzzle.  Although we may not like the circumstances that are facing us and be unable to understand what potential purpose they could possibly have, we accept them as a part of our puzzle because we know it is perfectly designed.

3.  Use the understanding that life is a perfect puzzle to increase your confidence. It makes it much easier to have confidence in what you are doing and where you are going when you realize there is a purpose.  There is a reason you have certain desires and goals and you should pursue them because they are a part of your puzzle.  Maybe you will successfully accomplish them or they may even change as time goes by.  Whatever the case may be, they exist for a reason and are a part of our puzzle.

4. Use the understanding that life is a perfect puzzle to ask the right questions. Ask yourself what things may mean and what you are supposed to learn from them since they are a part of your puzzle.  You may not come up with the answers right away or possibly the answers may change over time.  The most important things is that you explore situations and take notice of those things you were supposed to understand.

5. Use the understanding that life is a perfect puzzle to be amazed. Once you step back and take a look at your life as a puzzle and the pieces that you can already see coming together, it really is amazing how things just fit together perfectly.  Although we may not like every piece, we should be able to appreciate its place as a part of a larger whole that has been perfectly designed for us to experience.

Conclusion

By understanding that life is a perfect puzzle and nothing is random, we are equipped with the knowledge we need to manage through our everyday lives.  The pieces come together over time and unfold the way they were supposed to. It is not important that we understand the exact purpose of every piece as soon as it happens because all that really matters is that we have confidence in the perfection of the puzzle.  We understand that everything we do and experience is a part of the puzzle and serves a unique purpose in our lives…that is the alternaview.