From the moment I learned to read confidently, puzzles had me under their spell. I have always been curious to know how things work.
I remember being a wide-eyed twelve-year-old when my brother-in-law introduced me to a brainteaser involving two red and three blue caps. He promised me a prize if I solved it. Well, solve it I did, and to his surprise—and a bit of frustration—he couldn’t entirely accept that not only had I found the right solution, I’d done so with what he thought was the “wrong” explanation. Despite his initial protests, he finally conceded. That small victory gave me a thrill and sparked a lifelong passion for unraveling mysteries.
Our math teacher fed my new obsession at school by posting a weekly puzzle on the main noticeboard. He’d list every student who solved it—along with the correct answer—in the order he received their solutions. My ambition was always to claim the top spot. I found myself there more than 90% of the time, my heart thumping with excitement each week as I waited for my name to appear first once again.
Fast-forward to my sophomore year in college. The Rubik’s Cube was taking the world by storm, even though its inventor had famously solved it a few years prior. The buzz was all about discovering better, faster ways to crack the puzzle. Naturally, I was itching to get my hands on a cube and figure it out myself. But there was one hitch: final exams were looming, and I couldn’t afford any slip-ups in Physics. Determined not to lose precious marks, I put off the Rubik’s Cube challenge until after exams. Unfortunately, at that time, David Singmaster published an influential method for solving the cube, laying the foundation for many puzzle-solving techniques. I was crestfallen; my big chance at a personal breakthrough felt like it had slipped through my fingers.
Still, puzzles remained a constant companion. During gatherings with friends and colleagues, our favorite pastimes often included puzzle-solving, dumb charades, and a parlor game called “Anthakshiri,” where each player had to sing a song starting with the last letter of the previous tune. Whenever a new puzzle came along, I threw my complete focus into conquering it, partly for the sheer joy of the challenge and partly for the respect earned from being able to crack it. But I discovered early on that merely arriving at an answer wasn’t enough. One also had to explain the solution clearly—whether the puzzle required algebraic manipulation, logical elimination, brute force, inductive reasoning, or “lateral thinking.” (The classic “monk traveling to the temple and back” puzzle perfectly illustrates that last approach.)
This mental training became a secret weapon in my programming and software architecture career. Thanks to all the puzzling I’d done, complex algorithms felt more approachable. A colleague once brought me a gnarly SQL query packed with “AND” and “OR” clauses. He was convinced it couldn’t be simplified—until I introduced him to De Morgan’s theorem. Skeptical at first, he tested my revised and simplified query for hours, then finally returned to me, eyes wide, asking, “What in the world is De Morgan’s theorem?”
During my early years in management, I found that using puzzles was a clever way to help people grasp new concepts. I’d give my team a fun puzzle—like the “Pot of Gold” problem—and wait for their ideas. Then, as part of the solution, I’d weave in the specific lesson or strategy I wanted them to learn. Even in job interviews, simple brainteasers often revealed more about a candidate’s thought process and emotional resilience than any standard set of questions could.
The more puzzles I embraced, the more I saw them everywhere. Life itself started to resemble one grand, intricate puzzle. Want to win the heart of someone special? Think of it as a puzzle. Hoping to earn your siblings’ respect? Puzzle. Are you determined to rise on the corporate ladder? Puzzle. Even the messy, daily grind—like navigating relentless traffic or balancing your bank account—can be tackled by puzzle-solving strategies. Are you trying to lose weight and stay healthy? Treat it like solving a puzzle, step by step, tweak by tweak.
Of course, not all puzzles come with tidy, immediate answers. Some remain unsolved for decades or even centuries, like the Basel Problem—posed by Pietro Mengoli—or the famous (and still unsolved) Riemann Hypothesis.
There will always be luminous puzzle-smiths venturing beyond the farthest horizon of our understanding.
Throughout my wanderings and the kindred spirits I’ve encountered, I’ve seen how abundant true brilliance is in this world—far surpassing my small share. These remarkable souls have gently reshaped my view of life in their heartfelt exchanges or the pages of their thoughtful writings. I stand deeply grateful for their shining contributions and profoundly humbled by the privilege of learning from them.
Curiosity and tenacity keep us on our toes in the intricate web of life. When we accept that every challenge is just another puzzle waiting to be solved, the world becomes more exciting and less intimidating. Embrace that spirit of discovery in everything you do. Learn, grow, and trust that each step forward is another piece clicking into place.
So go ahead—chase that next puzzle, the next impossibility that isn’t so impossible after all. Because sometimes, the answer is just around the corner, waiting for the mind to be determined enough to find it.
