We recently built a puzzle: A beautiful landscape of our fair city, with Vancouver downtown in the foreground and the snow-capped mountains behind. It was advertised as containing one thousand pieces . . .

As the process started nearing completion, we noticed a gap in the clouds. Despite searching high and low, we just couldn’t find the one little piece that would complete the sky. We kept building with the hope that it would eventually show up.

It never did.

I was reminded of this recently as I was helping a client to implement the excellent EOS® system in their business. I really love EOS® as it forces you to have the discipline to focus only on the important, and to stop gathering information when you have just enough. In today’s business world this is a real advantage as there are so many options and distractions that striving for perfection becomes the enemy. You need to learn to live with the near perfect, and to move on. 

Just like we had to move on when the puzzle was not one hundred percent complete, we have to do that often in business and life. And you know what, it actually makes things more memorable. We would not have been speaking of this puzzle if it came with all its pieces.