Life as a puzzle

Enjoy the game :)

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Now let’s dive in.

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I see my life broadly into two phases - growing up and ageing up.

Growing up, I approached life with clear destinations in mind. I knew what success looked like. And I pushed myself hard (stressed) to get there, following a linear path.

Ageing up, I’m quite OK being lost in places where I’m happily trying to figure out whatever puzzle I chose to play.

The first phase gave me the gift of discipline, teaching me the importance of consistency and focus. The second phase calmly holds me in the lap of uncertainty. I cherish the discipline of being consistent with trying.

This shift has been liberating.

Rather than the anxiety of “Am I on the right path?” I now live with curiosity: “What will this experiment show me?”

The certainty I seek isn’t about the destination anymore. It’s about knowing I’m actively engaged rather than sitting on the sidelines, wondering “what if?”

I’m letting life play out for me rather than pushing to make it work.

Living this way, I believe the puzzle pieces will come to me as I keep trying. I’m OK with not knowing where it all lands.

The evolution of this newsletter shows this perfectly.

When I launched it, I had no clear editorial vision beyond documenting my journey. The tagline was simple: “This page is my journey through various emotions.”

While I wrote my lived experience here, this newsletter evolved to find its “ABOUT” as I kept writing weekly. It literally did.

A few months back, I revisited my archive and identified recurring themes. I changed the “ABOUT” based on what I found. Where I landed is not what I started with. And I’m still flying again after the first landing.

Here’s what I’ve realised:

When I release the pressure to have everything figured out, I create a space where things flow through me. A space where creation organically happens and ideas flow naturally.

The more open I am towards trying, the more life opens up for me. It shows me opportunities that I feel like working towards.

So I’m continuing to enjoy playing the puzzle, where the riddle is not how to do more but how to enjoy whatever I do.

I’m currently testing this principle with my work structure. I’ve limited laptop work to four days per week, five hours per day. The remaining time is dedicated to analogue creation—pottery, reading, writing by hand, sketching, and intentional leisure activities like watching a rom-com without the accompanying guilt about screen time.

It’s another experiment. Another puzzle piece finding its place. Another way of letting life show me what works.

As I write this week’s newsletter, I feel that it’s somewhat abstract, perhaps even mystical. But I’ve learned to trust how ideas arrive rather than forcing them into more conventional frameworks.

Take a Little Pause 🌼

What would change in your life if you approached it as a puzzle to be enjoyed rather than a problem to be solved?

I’d love to hear what you have discovered. 😊

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Enjoy live sessions, personalised feedback, and a small, supportive group. Turn your reading into visual notes.

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Whatever you’re celebrating or however you’re spending the last few days of this year, I hope you find little pockets of calm and joy.

A good book. A slow morning. Nothing at all.

Pauses don’t need to be productive. They just need to be. 💛

Wishing you a gentle end to the year.

Take care!
Rachna

Ways to support my creative journey 🎨✨

• Register for my first bootcamp to learn how to make visuals. Starts Jan 2026!

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Take a Little Pause is an illustrated weekly newsletter for anyone navigating the beautiful messiness of building a creative, calm and intentional life. If you’re on a similar journey, subscribe for free or become a paid supporter to support my writing and help bring my dream of publishing a coffee-table book to life. 💛