Never Stop Trying!
As you have probably noticed, I am late on this blog post. As every other week in our lives, it has been a busy one, and this week was even more busy. We got back Tuesday (around 1 am) from Illinois. You know this is usually the day I post my blog. To be honest, I realize now that I probably should have written this earlier and had it scheduled to post. However, I did not (too much to do without enough time). So, here I am, at the last hour, sitting at my computer, trying to write something with meaning. Do I get any brownie points for already having the topic and title by last Wednesday? Probably not, no one knows that but me…lol
So, what has kept us busy this week? Oh My Geez! What hasn’t?!? I’m still working on a pattern…but besides that, we traveled to Illinois to deliver HHG (house hold goods) to TamaLee. This was a great trip. My husband was able to travel with me. It is always good to have company, but my hubby is my ultimate travel buddy! As he lives in Maryland and I only get to see him every couple of weeks for a weekend, this was a 3 day trip that we got to spend some good amount of time together. My daughter got the rest of her things, and they got to spend time together. Lastly, as we borrowed my parents’ truck and trailer, we got to do a short visit with them when we dropped of the vehicles. It was a true win-win-win kind of trip. Although I did not get much quilting done, it was memories in the making. This trip will forever be remembered in my heart and mind. Thanks to all of you for this treasured experience!
A fantastic trip to see our daughter and deliver her HHG!
Remember that I told you all I would post my best 2 bowl cozies after I gifted them to Tam? Well, here they are:
She loves puppies and Halloween! The perfect fabric choice for her!
She loved the print, and I hope that she enjoys using the cozies. I will say, those videos on how to make these all say that they are quick. One of the videos even said they did it in 15 minutes! Not true! At least for me…lol There is more to it than meets the eye. But, they are faster than making an entire quilt, and they are faster than making the table runner and place mats that I am currently still making. I am going to try a few different sizes. We will see how long I do these for. I just do not find the same enjoyment in making them as I do other things. Must be the quilter in me realizing that I am not a seamstress…lol
This brings me to my last topic in this blog: Never stop trying! Yes, I realize that you may think that I already spoke about this in the last blog. However, in my mind, they are not the same and they do go together. Whether you have a dream or simply have something you want to do on your bucket list, do not give up and do not stop trying. You, my quilting friend, are worth it. It is worth to continue to try to succeed, or accomplish, that goal that lives inside you. That little pessimistic voice in the back of your mind may be setting in and saying things like, “It is too hard,” “I don’t have enough time,” or “I could never really be able to do that.” I will be honest; it is a lot easier to listen to that little, nasty voice. It is much easier to do nothing. Did we not grow up understanding that anything worth doing takes work and can be difficult? We all go through this from time to time. We have all said these things to ourselves at one time or another. But, success or accomplishment does not happen without effort.
So, how do you overcome that little, nasty voice? First, you need to acknowledge that all these reasons are really just excuses. Plain and simple. Once you understand that they are excuses, you can then begin to overcome them. Not enough time? Could you not find 15 minutes even once a week? Sure you can. Although, at this rate, it may take you 6,000 years to complete this goal, it is better than never. Yes, I am exaggerating the time to make a point. However, whether it takes 6,000 years, 6 months, or 6 hours, it is better than your future self saying, “I wish I would have…”
You could never really be able to do that? How do you know? You have not even tried to do it. Maybe you need to break it down into smaller parts. The big picture or overall quilt may look harder than it is. Breaking it down into parts can make it appear more manageable and doable. Accomplishing smaller parts will also build your confidence that you can succeed and give you that push to keep moving forward. Well, at least until you hit that point in the quilt (and we all do) when we ask ourselves, “What was I thinking? Why did I think this was a good idea?” This is a normal part of the process and other topic for a different blog.
You believe it is too hard? That goal or that dream you have may be the hardest thing you have ever tried to accomplish. No getting around that thought. However, if you do not even try or you stop trying, you will forever have that little, nasty voice saying all those things to you repeatedly. And even worse, you will forever believe them and continuously break down your self-esteem and confidence. Stop listening, start doing, and keep moving forward! Remember, anything worth doing is not easy. Keep telling yourself, “I can. I will. I am.”
As I write this, I thought it might be a good idea to share one of my own challenges. It has always been one of my dreams in life to be able to impact others in positive ways. Twenty years ago, I had no idea that I would find that dream living within quilting. But, here I am talking to you about various inspirations, dreams in quilting, spreading joy and beauty, all within our quilting business. One of the things I realized is that I have to do more videos with more consistency. So, as the story goes, I came up with various excuses. I do not have a good camera, I have software to edit that can take 16 hours to format into a video I can upload on to YouTube and it still looks or sounds terrible, it takes forever to do one video and I have other projects that need attention, I do not have enough money to get the things that I need, it is too hard to do a video without someone else to at least hold the camera, etc.…etc.…etc. ALL EXCUSES! Unless you went to school for this stuff, no one knows what they are doing when they begin. It does seem difficult and time consuming. But guess what? If I want to accomplish the dream of inspiring or helping more people, the excuses have to take a back seat on the bus. That little, nasty voice has to be quieted. Yes, it will be extremely difficult. Yes, I could have better resources to make things easier. Yes, it will take a bunch of time. But, doing nothing accomplishes nothing. And, it is worth it! You are worth it! I am worth it! So, I am telling myself to suck it up buttercup, put on my big-girl pants, and get them done!
Whatever it is that burns inside you to “one day” achieve, I hope you will realize you are capable, you are intelligent, and you are worth it! If it is quilting related, I look forward to the day that you share your art and spread more beauty. More importantly, I look forward to seeing your accomplishment and the pride and joy that you will show with it. Never stop trying! You, my quilting friends, got this!
Until next time, may you continue to be inspired, productive, and joyful! And never stop making your dreams in quilting come true!
-Angel
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