Navigating the life puzzle

With some bonus lessons from Seyi Abolaji, Founder of Wilsons Juice Co

On one of our trips earlier in the year, my wife bought us the Cast Trinity Puzzle. We first stumbled on it while watching The Devil’s Plan on Netflix (thank you Victoria) and thought it would be a walk in the park.

For those without an idea what I am talking about, the Cast Trinity Puzzle is a metal brainteaser consisting of three interlocking pieces that you have to separate and reassemble. Sounds simple, right? Well, not quite. This puzzle is rated as a level six out of six in difficulty, which means it's one of the hardest puzzles you can find. It can take hours, days, or even weeks to solve it, depending on your skill and patience.

Well, guess who solved it? You guessed right - Me! But only partly, I’ve not been able to put it back.

How did I solve it? I zoned out during a call and was fiddling with it while engaging with another person on the line. Piece by piece, I figured out a way to untangle it. I was so excited that I almost screamed.

I haven’t been able to put it back though, see the current state below, it’s all stuck together and unyielding till I figure it out again.

Here’s why I shared this story:

1. Persistence pays off! This puzzle is not something you can solve in a few minutes. You have to try different angles, movements, and strategies and even slam it around until you figure it out. You will feel frustrated, bored, or tempted to give up, but if you stick with it, you may/will eventually succeed. This is true for many things in life, such as learning a new skill, achieving a goal, or overcoming a challenge. Persistence is the key to success.

2. There is more than one way to solve a problem. The cast trinity puzzle has multiple solutions since each piece is designed to pass through each other with some limitations. You might find one that works for you, or you might discover another one that is easier or faster. The same goes for life. You don’t have to be a slave to routine or one way of doing things, be open-minded and allow yourself to be creative.

3. Don’t take life too seriously. Just like I zoned out which helped me to be more open-minded and eventually solve part of the puzzle, life is akin to a game of puzzles. It's not always a matter of life and death. Sometimes we get too stressed or worried about things that are not really important in the long run. We forget to have fun and laugh at ourselves. We forget to make mistakes and look silly too. Play life with joy and curiosity, and stop being so serious that you stop living and experiencing!

One person who has been figuring out life like a puzzle is Seyi Abolaji, founder of Wilson’s Juice Co. Seyi, once a dreamer on the football fields, he has bravely navigated the intricate journey of entrepreneurship, building a Food and Beverage empire piece by piece.

Seyi discusses the intricacies of making it in Nigeria's beverage industry, the importance of playing to your strengths, and how his personal mantra, "create better," along with his SKITS philosophy—Sacrifice, Creativity, Integrity, Teamwork—guides his entrepreneurial spirit.

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What other lessons did you learn from Seyi, share with me in the comment section or by responding to this email.