I’ve played Sudoko ever since I was a teenager - I remember my uncle teaching me how to play at my Grandparent's house and I’ve always been drawn to the game ever since. When he challenged me it was always to get it completed in the fastest time possible but in truth, I never cared for the race. For me it was the process and the satisfaction of a completed game. Now, whenever I happen to come across a newspaper, I still find myself being drawn to complete a game.

This week, whilst relaxing in the decking chair in the sunshine of my Auckland stay, I found myself drawn to the game once again. I’m not sure if it’s a sign I never fully switch off from thinking about business or I was just getting divine inspiration, but whilst I was playing I couldn’t help but notice the business lessons from the game. 

Let me share…

1. It doesn’t matter where you start, just start

With Sudoku I let myself sit comfortably and get in the zone, as I cast my eyes over the grid I just let the starting point call me. Without really trying, something just pops. So I follow it and then go from there. 

I call this intuition. There is no logic, no favourite number and starting with 1 just doesn’t always make sense. Go figure. Before long I’ve found a rhythm, and it just flows. When things flow, it feels fun and easy. 

You know the amount of people I meet who tell me they would love to start a business one day? A LOT! They just don’t find the time, and even if they could, they wouldn’t know where to start. Perhaps you are a business owner already, and you have just returned from a holiday or even the weekend and you’re not sure where to begin. 

Even I do this now, my mind racing through a million and one things I could be doing and yet, not actually doing any one thing. 

Google cannot tell you where to start your business just as it can’t tell you the perfect place to start your puzzle. Start ANYWHERE and give it a go. Sometimes you hit on a square straight away and sometimes it takes a few more attempts.

Those attempts are never futile because it’s building your momentum and commitment. So keep going!

But nothing will happen until you commit and just start. 

It really does get to be that easy.

Reflection: What’s that one thing you can start in your business today? (hint - the first thing popped in your mind just then is the right answer - run with it)

2. Comparison gets you nowhere

When you’re focussed on the puzzle you don’t have the headspace to think about anything else. You can’t compare to someone else, because that won’t get you there any faster. When you look at someone playing the game they are normally head down focussing on their own moves, not looking at you. 

Comparing only creates a false sense of competition, and you normally come out as the inadequate one.

This applies when you compare it to your own last game too. So quit it. Right now, it simply doesn’t add any value here. 

When you’re busy focusing on YOU you’re not comparing yourself to anyone else. You’re out of your brain and in the game, focusing on the next move.

That’s literally how you build a business.

You identify your vision, then you get to work at the task right in front of you. Over and over again. 

So any time you find yourself in your head, comparing yourself against someone else, wondering how they did it, or what they have that you don’t have, you are giving your power away. So focus on you. 

Reflection: Who are you secretly comparing yourself against in your business? 

3. Be present with the task at hand

You see sometimes when you're solving a puzzle, it can feel like you can see 5 steps ahead.

But it's easy to get sidetracked and lose your way like that. Instead of focusing on the square in front of you, you find yourself trying to mentally complete a number of gaps at once. Next thing you know your eyes are darting all over the page and you’re mind is racing, you’re looking for an easy win and yet, nothing is landing.

The problem with trying to be 5 steps ahead is that you're not focused on where you are. 

Slow down and focus on the square in front of you. 

Just as in business, a recent client of mine said she was struggling to find the time to get everything done. When we drilled down on what she wanted to complete, she actually already knew her highest priority task (website completion). But the problem was when she quickly identified seven other tasks she had on the radar and the associated hurdles.  

I’m not saying planning ahead in business isn’t important. That’s what your strategy is for. But trying to do everything often means you achieve nothing. 

There is nothing wrong with being exactly where you are and taking a pause to prioritize on the task in front of you. 

Reflection: where are you trying to be 5 steps ahead instead of being present with exactly where you are? 

4 . Strategy is important, but the momentum happens through your mindset

You could easily Google strategies to complete a Sudoku puzzle. Yet if you gave the same Sudoko puzzle, with the same set of rules, strategy for completion, pen and environment to two different people, I can guarantee the completion and almost more importantly the ENJOYMENT rate would vary. Hugely! 

Because strategy is just that. It’s the process. What makes it fun, worthwhile, enjoyable and successful is how you bring yourself to the game. 

You could probably Google search a template business plan, sales funnel, website layout and sales structure to learn the specifics of WHAT you should do.  But if it was that easy, everyone would do it, and get the same results within the same time frame.

No matter how tried and tested your strategy is, it’s all down to you, your mindset and your energetics that dictate how enjoyable the game is and how quickly you succeed. 

If you sit there, frustrated, lost, angry, resentful that you can’t seem to make progress, then it won’t help. Also, what’s the point?

Your mindset is everything. 

Reflection: How does building your business make you feel? Do you like that feeling?

5. Celebrate the small wins.

You have to celebrate the small wins in Sudoku and in business. 

When you start there are always more blanks to fill than there are completed. When you finish that puzzle there's always a new puzzle to begin. It never ends. 

A frequent challenge my high achieving clients come to me with is 'when will it be enough?'. Even at the end of a Sudoku puzzle I'm quickly looking for a new blank one to start. 

That's why we must find contentment in all we have right now. There will always be progress to be had, another goal to meet, a project to complete and milestone to reach.

But if you forget to take stock of the little wins and celebrate the incremental steps then we will never have enough and by extension be at risk of never being enough.

It may be easier to skip the celebrations when there is momentum, but trust me, just filling one square can feel like a monumental achievement when you've been puzzling over a particularly hard one for a while!

Remember to enjoy the incremental steps of achievement in your business. If you only wait for the big milestones you will only be relieved, not excited, for your success. Success is worth celebrating. 

Reflection: What small win have you had recently? How can you celebrate that win today?

6. Be willing to take a break

Sometimes you hit a stumbling block. No matter how hard you look you just can't find a solution. A rising urgency fills within you, quickly followed by frustration. If unchecked it morphs into defeat and you give up. Sound familiar?

Sometimes, the best thing you can do for your game and business is to step away.

Take a break, do something else, and forget about it. 

When you come back to it a few hours or even a day later, somehow new solutions, fresh determination and commitment becomes you. How? 

Because rest is productive. 

Read that again.

It's what your brain needs to function at its best.

It's how your creativity finds you, and it's how you honor the ebb and flow of your energy, attention, and drive. You're not a robot. This is not a competition.

Reflection: Where are you forcing productivity, when in truth you just need a break?

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Feel like I was reading your mind with some of these reflections? Then I can help you. I work with business owners and (wannabe business owners) in starting and growing businesses. Find out more information here.

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