The Sudoku Shift

I love Sudoku. Indeed, it's my favourite game to play whilst having lunch at work or distracting myself from turbulence and screaming babies on flights. My passion for this logic-based puzzle began decades ago, yet one fateful day a seemingly odd epiphany struck me during my daily mental gymnastics session 💥... In that instant I realised that progressing from 'easy' to 'diabolical' difficulty, and their increasing levels of logical mastery, clearly correlate to the lofty concept of transcending layers of self awareness. 🐇🐇🐇

How did I draw this philosophical conclusion? Well, an old habit actually, my tendency towards worry and panic. After two significant shifts in my personal development and evolvement, I feared that my new-found wisdom would be lost. I didn't trust myself to remember the things I was learning, terrified I'd eventually repeat the same dumb shit. Fall off the 'healing wagon' and ultimately end up an agoraphobic broken heap on my living room floor... again. It made me physically sick to think about; I couldn't go back, I wouldn't go back dammit! But how to keep those old thinking patterns at bay? The ones that landed me in perpetually painful identity crises. How could I be certain to implement the new changes and make them stick? How could I be sure to capture the 'Aha!' moments of inspiration? There was simply too much mind-numbing information to write down and memorise. Hell, well over half of what I was experiencing was intuitive and sense-based, I didn't even have the vocabulary to articulate the insights. Mind-numbing is an understatement indeed, mind-expanding is more accurate. 🤯😅

Here it is...

Hope came in the form of a 'diabolical' puzzle one day. I was suddenly aware that I had used a completely divergent line of logic for the first time, and it had magically made the puzzle much easier. [Note that it was the first time I was aware of HOW I was thinking, I can't say how long I'd actually been thinking in that new way.] The numbers and grids literally looked different and I felt like I had penetrated a new level within my very brain. A bit like a cube looking at a square and realising they're actually the same thing, only the third dimension of the square remained hidden until it became visible to the cube (this analogy originated from the book Flatland). I had no idea what exposed this new dynamic, but as I reflected on my history with learning Sudoku it became clear that I've approached awareness-expansion much the same way:

Analyse, Implement, Practice, Reflect, Repeat

Here's an actual example of how I approach a puzzle:

Start by using the universal logical rules applicable at any level of difficulty to find as many numbers as possible. For example, there is always one number that can go into all grids. Over time I've realised that my brain naturally knows which number that is, but I can't explain how. In this case, the 9.

Next I see that there are numbers that need to go into certain rows and/or columns, based on the numbers already there; two numbers left in a given row (like the 2&3). Then I go onto three numbers that must fit into three boxes (like the 1&3&5), which further limits other logical options.

Once it's down to four numbers in four boxes, it gets a bit harder (1&3&5&8). At this point the numbers start following predictable patterns. In this case, I can surmise that the position of the 3's will dictate the placement of other numbers.

Since choosing the placement of a '3' will limit everything else, I pick another number that allows the pattern of the 3's to remain flexible and least restricted. Ultimately, I get to a point when I give it my most logical guess and cross my fingers. I get it about 50% of the time. Not bad, and hey, no ones' perfect! 

Interesting Considerations, Post Epiphany
- Practice makes perfect! Through consistent practice the thinking patterns and logical conclusions that took me from 'easy' to 'medium' to 'hard' became background noise. I analysed each puzzle by employing the same rules that always applied. Achieving breakthroughs in logical heirarchy and seeing the puzzle from a different perspective enabled me to progress to the next level, ensuring continual improvement in my abilities. To do that however, I needed to understand the basic rules backwards and forwards. (1-9 in each row, column, and grid, i.e. the basic rules of Sudoku)

- The 'easy' puzzles don't become harder as the 'difficult' puzzles become easier. That is to say, I'm not afraid of forgetting how to go back and do an easier puzzle. 

- I'm only having fun when I'm being challenged. A puzzle I can solve within minutes does not interest me. I purposefully do crazy-hard puzzles I often can't complete, that way when I do its super satisfying. This is proof that I may or may not be a masochist. 😅

- As I work through the puzzle I'm able to discern which logical leap would be accessible to a novice, amateur or expert. This is because I remember breaking through that logical barrier with a distinct 'Aha!' on my own mastery adventure.

- Practice some more! The new way of thinking will become a default with repetition, another reason I don't fear losing my new abilities to analyse the patterns. After each leap I start to view the grids differently with practice, then successfully solve more difficult conundrums with greater ease.

- Consequently, I need to want to practice. I have a solid intention to improve, so I practice the tough stuff. Practicing the 'easy' level indefinitely will not shift me to the next level of logical ability, it only gives me more of the same old way of thinking.

- Again, I need to want to practice. Practice becomes effortless when I do something I enjoy and for which I hold an authentic passion.

- I surrender to the fact that I cannot force myself shift. I cannot make myself see the new reasoning necessary to go to the next level. All I can do is TRUST that over time through consistent practice my mind will begin to see things differently and finally break through the necessary barrier when its ready.

- It helps to step back and view the puzzle as a WHOLE, not just rows, columns and grids. How will my choice effect with the larger pattern? Best practice dictates choosing a number which leaves the greatest number of possible outcomes and also aligns to the dominate pattern is most wise.

- When all else fails, I use sound logic and all my mental fortitude to get as close to finishing the puzzle as possible, then I wing it! At the very least I've increased my chances of making a correct guess. If I'm wrong, well, it's just a f*$#-ing Sudoku puzzle; there are plenty of opportunities to try again!

- I don't write myself off as a moron when I guess and get it wrong. I remain steadfast in my optimism that I will, with continued practice on the 'diabolical' setting, at some point achieve the level of logical aptitude required to complete the puzzle without having to guess. After all, it's consistently happened before, so why wouldn't it happen again?

Nawhhh, suck it up buttercup! Practice, practice, practice!

So back to our allegory comparing this process with conscious evolvement... Again, for the best possible outcome, we need to want to practice. This is important because it takes energy to learn new things, to change, to re-wire our engrained thought patterns. Our lazy ass brains will pack a sad and do everything in their power to convince us it's not worth it. We're most likely to put in the practice when we do things that naturally bring us joy and fulfillment, and also spark our inner flame of inspiration and creativity. For example, I practice through daily reflection, meditation, running or walking in nature; it's what I love and I how I get heaps of 'Aha!' moments about my own thoughts, emotions and behaviours.

Getting into the nuts and bolts, here are some things I implement into these practices:

• Telling myself what a f&$#-gem I am! [Coincidentally, this was one of my previous shifts. It used to be my self-sabotaging habit to tell myself I'm a piece of shit. I remained unaware of this underlying limiting belief until I had an 'Aha!', heard it, and could consciously recognise it as BULLSHIT. 💩]
• Reminding myself that I've done nothing wrong, to put down the damned naughty stick [Yet another previous shift, yet another false belief exposed.... are we starting to see the trend?]
• Observing my thoughts and emotions, emotions and thoughts, without judgment [Judgment is one of the biggest barriers to creating a psychologically safe environment for ourselves and others 👂👍]
• Staying aligned to my spiritual aspiration of co-creating the life I deserve, and remaining compassionate to myself first and foremost... because when I go easy on myself, I will go easy on others [I'm much less of a dick without realising it 😇]
• Asking for help without feeling like I'm taking advantage of others.... Ok, this is one I need to work on if I'm being honest [WIP TBC 😂⏰]
• Being brutally honest with myself about all of my opportunities, identifying strengths I can lean into without feeling like a tall poppy instead of dwelling on aspects of my personality that hold me back [Sure, I can be better in some ways but obsessing on those thoughts, and those thoughts alone, has only ever made me a miserable anxious hot-mess]
• Allowing and embracing the fact that I change each and everyday, and the changes that are worth keeping will stick [Or I'll forget, repeat a sub-optimal cycle, and have another shot at learning the lesson 😉😎]
• Trusting my choices, my intuitive pulls, even if they're only my best guess
• Consider what intentions I can set to continue my pursuit of continuous self improvement... 💖🙏🐇

Each point, when put into consistent action, keeps my positive momentum going. When I feel worried that my old habits are going to come creeping back like so many spiders in my closet, or when I'm having an epically shitty day and being a rightious asshole, I reflect on what a drastically different person I've become on the whole. I may not be able to articulate the adventure I've been on, but damn sure I've shifted through multiple layers of consciousness by expanding my awareness with these dedicated practices. As a result new rabbit holes continually open up. My next Sudoku shift could be right around the corner... [and by that I mean 4 years later, because I literally just unlocked another logical perspective from the same damn puzzles I've been playing since I wrote the original article! I still need to guess from time to time, but the guesses are more intuitive and have improved from 50% to about 75%, a hell of an improvement! 🤓]

Original Publication Date 11 March 2019, Revised 22 October 2023