The Missing Piece: Why the Dream Takes So Long to Manifest

When I work with children, I’m amazed at how much energy they put into any activity that they take on.

One day, I saw a child putting together a puzzle. She had a surly look on her face. She was frustrated because one piece just wouldn’t fit in the space she had created.

I looked over her shoulder. It seemed that two puzzles had been mixed together. The piece she was using belonged in another puzzle.

And so it is with the evolution of our lives.

When you begin to grow up,

your life = your job + your family + your car + your apartment + your friends + other stuff

The Missing Piece

…and they fit together, one being the natural offshoot of the other. They are part of who you understand yourself to be.

As you move toward the fulfillment of your dreams, your identity shifts.  The picture of who you are changes, and so the puzzle you are putting together has different pieces. We still try to fit them together the same way, or we try to use the same pieces to create a different picture.

That’s why as you grow:

• you can’t drive the same car and be satisfied
• your relationship with your family changes
• you adjust how you spend your time at home
• your friends grow with you or fall away
• you are no longer satisfied with the same type of work

This is why things take longer than you expect. Your environment has to change to make a space for your success. If you cling to the things that no longer serve you, the space can’t be made.

The friend that thinks all rich people are thieves can’t make the journey with you to a prosperous life. The woman who thinks all men are dogs won’t understand it when you want to spend more time with your boo.

Let them grow or let it go. Don’t try to fit yourself into the wrong puzzle.