Why your success hinges on your ability to think "big picture".

Imagine your life is like a jigsaw puzzle, each day a different piece. Right now, this day, may be a dark coloured piece. Focusing on this one dark puzzle piece, you could be tempted into believing your life is one big dark, miserable hole. But as we know with jigsaw puzzles, it's the combination of the thousands of pieces combined that make the whole. What about tomorrow's piece of your life? Let's imagine it's grainy turquoise coloured with a dark section on the adjoining tab that fits into yesterday's piece. Tomorrow may be bright and wonderful, experienced as a better day, but what of today? Do we throw today's piece out because it's dark and uncomfortable? Certainly not, because when we take a step back we can see that today's piece makes up the majority of the dark pupil of our eye, while tomorrow puts in place the first section of our turquoise iris in our life's portrait picture!
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Are you someone who gets overwhelmed by the current demands in your life, and you forget to remember and work accordingly to the bigger picture you are planning for yourself? I'm a person who's into details. I naturally look for detail, notice detail, and when it's not there my first intuition is to ask about it. I can easily get bogged down in the here and now because there is so much to pay attention to!

There is nothing wrong with being into details. Successful people are those who can finish their projects down to the last detail and present them with finesse. There is a problem however, when all you can focus on is detail, and this fixated focus clouds you from having a broader perspective. You know the "can't see the forest for the trees" saying? It's so true. It is a crucial skill to have the foresight to be able to stand back - figuratively, literally, physically or emotionally - from a situation and take stock of it with your "big picture" in mind.

Not always are we going to be able to see and make sense of every situation in our lives, as to where it fits in our big picture. Sometimes we may suffer huge disappointments that seem entirely negative and an utter waste of our time (usually I find I can look back on these however, and see that they taught, grew and developed me). But even for argument's sake, if we agree these negative experiences are nothing but a waste of our time, should we allow them to cause us to give up, give in or get distracted from our bigger picture goals? Surely not.

If you are traversing a dark hour, day or week, my heart goes out to you. I care that you are struggling and will help you if I have the opportunity. I implore you to remember that this time shall pass and there will be a multitude of other puzzle pieces assigned to you - a huge variety of textures and shades - to complete the picture of your life. Don't allow the demands and disappointments of today to distract you from your goals for tomorrow and the life you can continue to create for yourself.

In my latest blog video, I share my insights into the second pillar of Emotional Intelligence, Self Regulation. Remembering your "bigger picture" on those dark days is one aspect of self regulation, and a skill that will serve you in a happier more contented life. Listen to my 10 minute video for more strategies on how you can implement self regulation in your life to increase your own wellbeing and that of your personal and professional relationships.

Kristy is the founder of Wellbalance. She is inspired to motivate leaders and workplaces toward proactive, effective and productive communication with their people, to achieve positive outcomes for all. Kristy enjoys long walks on the beach and holding hands at sunset (just joking - actually not really!) Kristy thrives on seeing relationships reach their full potential, and celebrates when people come to understand their true value - to love their flaws, accept their perceived failings and grow beyond these. She believes that the entire human race are healthier and happier when they CONNECT - with their people, GROW - in their self awareness and ability to engage with others, and LIVE - life to their full potential.

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