on being a jigsaw puzzle…
part 1: the joy of having a box lid with a clear picture
Our festive season consisted mainly of sleep, paracetamol and jigsaws.
All were a surprise, with the lurgy arriving out of the blue in mid-December. But the biggest surprise was the constant puzzling.
Growing up, there was often a jigsaw on the go, on the big glass topped coffee table in the lounge usually. Those memories are full of visiting aunts and uncles peering at the task laid out, the seesaw of satisfaction and frustration, and my dad’s whiskey tumbler perched on a coaster between the crisp edge pieces and the messy middle yet to tame.
Ever since I moved out I’ve yearned for my own jigsaw space but filling my houses with cats (I grew up with dogs) didn’t lend itself to masses of small cardboard pieces carefully arranged on a tip-off-able-surface… and especially now with two huge playful long-haired beasts it felt like madness.
But in the unseasonable haze of woolly ears and aching body I didn’t care, I just needed the distraction. Inevitability they joined in from time to time, curling up in the box lid, lying across the growing picture or jumping up to reshuffle anything that wasn’t firmly attached. It didn’t really matter in the end.
What mattered was the slow piecing together.
The surprises, the slow sticky patches and the moments of easy flow when the pieces showed themselves one after another.
And it got me thinking, once the fog had lifted, about the jigsaw of me. And you.
You see, jigsaws come with a map, and thank goodness for that, right? Because otherwise how would we know what the heap of randomly coloured pieces would make?
And as we piece them together we get to lean right in close to puzzle over the minute details, then sit right back and enjoy the progress, the beautiful image emerging on the table. And repeat.
Finding as we go those pieces that just don’t seem to fit anywhere, yet trusting that somehow, somewhere, they will be perfect… at the right time.
Wondering, where oh where is that one piece I really need right now to make sense of it all?
And remembering that I too come with a map, a box lid, just like you.
On leaning in… and zooming out…
At first, when I came across human design I felt the inevitable pull to lean right in and focus tightly on allll the details. We all do this it seems.
What exactly does it mean to be a Generator?
To have Sacral authority?
To have the Gate 56 as my brightest energy?
What does it mean to have right facing arrows, or left?
To have individual energy, or tribal?
To have a core wound that shows up like ‘firing bent arrows’?
What does it mean that some of my centres (chakras) coloured in and some not?
How has my undefined throat centre been conditioned over the years, and what can I do to release the limiting beliefs stored there?
But there came an absolutely stunning moment when I was invited to relax, sit back and see the whole.
Wow.
It is tempting to get caught up in the knowledge of human design, the memes, the generalisations. But human design is not a labelling system, it’s here to free you, not to put you in yet more boxes. It’s a guide for self-discovery, a map to lead you out of limiting beliefs and the inevitable conditioning of the world we live in.
And it’s not the only one, maybe you’ve found and love another tool? Do share in the comments.
The question that I love to ask myself, and my coaching clients, is this:
Why would I be designed this way?
If there is a moment you are going to fall crazy in love with yourself it’s this one.
As you answer this question and realise that you are indeed perfectly designed. When you see that you don’t need to try and be something else, and that the parts you don’t like about yourself are actually your greatest strengths, when you release their shadow and lean into just being entirely you.
Me? I have a lot of ‘starting’ energy in my chart, and with a gift for inspiring through stories and seeing exactly what’s needed for things to work out, I’m designed to be a catalyst for positive change. And I’m designed with a very open (mostly white) chart which means I’m aware of everything, but also bring a calm energy to those around me as they start the new things. There’s more but that’s the core. I see it.
Wow. Yes! I get to be all this and it’s actually ME? I don’t have to try? 🧡
(Side-note: within my chart are a number of places that speak to ADHD traits too; I’m self diagnosed and HD is helping me to embrace the gifts of these sometimes-challenging traits and learn why they’re a part of me, instead of pushing them away or trying to fix anything. This approach might not feel right for everyone, but reach out if you want to talk more)
I wonder, what would your answer be if I asked you… why would you be designed the way you are?
You know, don’t you, that if you want to piece together your beautiful jigsaw and answer that question, I’m right here to help guide your journey. Just press reply or book a super-relaxed no-strings call to talk about how we can work together to do just that.
I’m sending love, as always
Sarah xx
PS: I can’t tell you how often I uttered these twin sentences over the seasonal break… “there’s definitely a piece missing…” and “where does THIS piece even go?!”
And I’ll be coming back to these common jigsawing refrains in part two…!
Some of the ways I can support you to be you:
➡️ Get full Permission To Be You right here… by downloading your personalised human design report (£27)
➡️ Join me on a 4 month coaching journey to discover your full potential and be the real you. Currently £320… if you’re ready to start, book now as this priceless package is going up in February. (One hour Unpacks are also available)
➡️ Give the gift of Human Design to a friend or colleague…
You can now purchase a Human Design unpack / reading for a friend. Gift vouchers are available just here (£90) and you get a lovely PDF voucher to share with your chosen giftee 🧡
Hey, I’m Sarah and my mission is helping heart-led business owners find their soul-purpose, align with their unique energy and increase their impact in the world.
I’m a qualified coach and NLP master practitioner and a certified human design coach, blending all my learned skills with my natural ability to create change and growth for clients, 1-1 and in nurturing groups too.
Interested in discovering how we could work together and how I can give you full permission to be 100% you? ⬇️