Circles
I found a cross stitch pattern of The Nutcracker three years ago, and I was in love. ❤️❤️❤️ I purchased the pattern, and the supplies, and couldn’t wait to get started. Initially, I was so motivated and planned to get it done in a matter of weeks. Well, weeks turned into more weeks, Christmas came and went, and I quickly tucked that unfinished project away. But don’t fret—another project soon piqued my interest, and I was hooked. AGAIN!
Unfortunately, I have a great many projects that are sitting alone, unfinished—utterly forgotten. Quilts, dresses I bought the patterns for and never sewed, advent calendars, scrapbooking binders for the pictures that remain unprinted, quiet books for the babies who grew up, and more. It’s kind of sad.
I have always been a great starter of things, but the finishing of things is a different story. There are two reasons for this:
The image in my mind doesn’t match the ability of my hands. Disappointed in my inadequate project, but not wanting to waste money, I tuck it away somewhere special where I will try again. Someday. Let’s be honest—that someday never comes. The perfection that I seek keeps a lot of things from completion. Does anyone else have this issue? I am constantly working on believing that being done is better than perfect. I will admit, my closets and shelves stuffed with half-finished crafts suggest that I have more work to do.
I am easily distracted by all the things shiny and new, and I frequently decide to add one more item to my ever-growing list of projects. I really struggle when it comes to constraining. I want to do it all! Let’s cook and bake, make our own jewelry, quilt everything, cross stitch, write books, read books, coach, and sew Halloween costumes! What else should I do? Offer it up, and I’m almost guaranteed to bite.
While my perfection issues still exist, I have been thinking a lot about constraint and my lack of it. Then I read about people walking in circles. It’s true. Did you know this?
Human beings walk in circles when there are no landmarks to guide them. A mountain, the sun, the moon, or trees—we have to have a focal point to walk in a relatively straight line.
Circles.
I have been walking in circles.
I have a million different goals all the time, and I keep adding more. And when you have a bunch of goals or projects, you really have none. You have to pick a focal point and keep moving in that direction until you finish. The new and oh-so-attractive distractions that appear around every corner become less appealing when you constrain and focus on one thing at a time.
Over the past year, I have been working on this. A LOT. I started working on my Nutcracker cross stitch every single day until I finished. I did it! Sure, it took three years and some serious constraint, but I actually finished a project. I am done walking in circles.
How about you?
