Recently, we came across a Monkey Puzzle tree. Native to Chile and Argentina, its name was first coined in 1850 by Charles Austin, who said that climbing its branches would be a puzzle, even for a monkey.
Whenever I see a puzzle, my Instinct is to find a way of working it out. In a world that seems increasingly reliant on simplistic, easy solutions, it often feels good to sit down and figure out how something works, how to get our message across, how to play that song, or make sense of things in general.
There is something satisfying about taking the time to create, rehearse and modify something to get it right. As the guitarist Keith Richards once said, ‘You have no idea how hard we work to sound so spontaneous’.
Next time you see someone make their work look effortless, admire their talent, then think of how much time they spend honing their craft.
This beautiful tree reminded me of the importance of time spent working out life’s puzzles.
What are you going to work out this week?
© PT Performance Solutions Ltd
