Sudoku - I Finally Did It

Yes, you heard me correctly.  Last week I completed my first sudoku puzzle (not just one sudoku puzzle, but almost 10 different puzzles).  For sometime now, I have thought it would be neat to sit down and actually complete a sudoku puzzle.  So, one of my goals last week was to finish a sudoku puzzle. 

If you are not familiar with sudoku.  Let me briefly explain.  There are 9 boxes and 9 rows.  You must use the numbers 1 through 9, but only once in each box and in each row.  Sounds simple enough.  Really it is not that difficult.  However, the puzzles can range from easy to extremely challenging.  Here is an example:

If sudoku is not hard to do, some may ask "why did you want to complete a puzzle?"  Better yet, "why do you feel the need to blog about it?"  The answer is to learn self-discipline.  You see I have picked-up and tried to do sudoku several times.  Each time I would get frustrated and give up when I made a mistake.  By setting a goal and sticking with it, I was able to accomplish the task.  I will admit the first one was a bit tricky, it took me several hours over the course of two days to complete it.  By the end of the week, I was able to complete a puzzle in around 5 minutes.

I learned the importance of sticking with something and focusing on the task at hand.  Image what we could accomplish if we set out to complete a certain task and focus on it.  Even today I was challenged with the thought of "what is it in my life that I am focused on that is bigger than me".  We should always have a major task that is bigger than ourselves that we are working on.

I know, sudoku is not a major task.  I know, sudoku is not bigger than me.  However, it took something simple to remind me that goals, focus, and perseverance are important.  Ever since high school I have said that I wanted to learn Spanish.  I think that it is time that I applied what I learned from sudoku and learn some Spanish.

What is it that you would like to complete?  Are you currently working on a task that is bigger than yourself?  If not, why not choose something to focus on today?  Remember to stick with it, perseverance is the key.

Tener un buen dia,

Pastor Greg

P.S. - I also learned sudoku can be addictive, now I have to learn self-discipline to not waste my time playing it all the time.  Did you know they even make sudoku toilet paper?  I think I need to buy some.