By Bill Quain
This week’s Six Words on a Boardwalk Bench goes out to all the people who want to start, but just don’t know what they are aiming to accomplish. The concept comes from my book, “You’ll Never Get It Right By Doing It Wrong.” In that book I give an example of how to build a complicated jigsaw puzzle. The first step is to look at the picture on the box! If you don’t have that picture as a guide, those puzzle pieces aren’t going to make much sense, and you won’t know which pieces fit and which don’t.
Look For The Sides & Corners
Everyone who solves jigsaw puzzles knows that the two types of pieces that are the easiest to identify are the side and corner pieces. Most of the time, side pieces are going to have at least one straight side on them, and the corner pieces will have two. Of course, that isn’t enough to begin the puzzle if you don’t know what the picture will be. Let’s say you have a corner piece in your hand, and you’re ready to place it in the right spot. Which corner is it supposed to be in? And those side pieces… they could be on the left, top, bottom or right sides, but exactly where? But with that picture, you quickly assemble the “frame” of the final puzzle.
The Puzzle’s Frame Will Establish Boundaries
Hey, we all need boundaries, right? You can’t finish a puzzle if you don’t know where the boundaries are. And, in real life, we all need to know the limits (and limitations) of what we are trying to accomplish. May I suggest that you re-read last week’s column “Identify Your Baggage and Unpack It!” Knowing where the Finish Line is makes every job easier.
Did your boss ever ask you to do something at work? Don’t you hate it when she says, “Just keep on going until you think it’s finished.”? Of course you do. I know my students absolutely hate it when I give them an assignment if it doesn’t tell them when they are finished. Everyone likes certainty. That’s why you always need to establish a reasonable Finish Line and stick to it. Having that picture on the box, or firmly in your mind, makes life much easier. If you want to be a great boss, leader, example, or relationship-builder, always establish the edges!
Start With The End In Mind
Life is full of puzzles. They range from “What should we have for dinner?” to “How do we raise our kids?” You don’t need a very big picture for the small things. (No need to take a picture of every meal you make, so you can make it again – for the fiftieth time.) But those BIG things… the ones that are complicated, and especially the ones that require communication and interaction with others… well, those puzzles need pictures with a lot of detail. Better still, they require you to get everyone involved to commit to the final version of the picture.
This doesn’t mean you can’t make revisions along the way, but the more you can commit to one picture and stick to it, the more successful you’ll be, and the better you’ll get at solving life’s puzzles.
BIG Outcomes: Pictures Make It Real
A few weeks ago, I began writing my 28th book. The title is Bankrupt U. and the subtitle is How American Colleges Pulled Off 7 Perfect Scams, and Made Professors Richer & Students Poorer. I am writing this book with a co-author, and we needed some way to keep us on track so that each of us is contributing to a final version of the book. So… breaking with tradition, I created the cover of the book first, including the text copy on the back, and then we started writing the book! Wow, did that ever make it easier. Whenever my co-author or I got an idea, all we had to do was look at the picture, read the back-cover text, and then we could immediately decide if that new idea fit in or not.
The Book Cover Made It Real
Having a book cover (picture) completed, also makes it more “real” to potential readers and buyers. A few days ago, we were at dinner with two other couples, and I told them, “I’m writing a new book.” “That’s great,” they said, and one friend asked me “What’s the title?” I told them, and they said “Interesting.” But then, my wife Jeanne passed around her phone, with the picture of the front and back covers, and they all said, “Congratulations!” because now, they were looking at a book, not a concept.
Need Help With Pictures? Use AI!
I have a great graphics guy, Jack. He has been doing my book covers for over 30 years now. As you can imagine, the ability to generate great graphics (great pictures) has changed over the years, but this time, it took a giant leap forward. Jack told me that he was having difficulty coming up with the front cover, so he used AI and it delivered a terrific picture, using all the elements he asked for. It’s the one we are going with for the final edition. My co-author Joe and I are writing away, but it’s easier now, because we have “the frame,” and we’re just filling in the middle pieces. (We expect to release the book in early Spring.)
Share Your Stories. Fill The Picture.
As always, I’d love to hear your stories, and get your feedback. Just drop me an email at bill@quain.com.
And, as I say each week, I’ll see ‘ya in the papers.
Bill is a Professor in Stockton University’s Hospitality Management Program. He is the author of 27 books, and a highly-respected speaker. Even though he is almost totally blind, Bill is a long-distance runner and runs the Ocean City Half Marathon each year. He lives in Ocean City with his wife Jeanne, and his Guide Dog Trudy. Visit www.billquain.com or email him at bill@quain.com.
