One of my wonderful organizing clients said to me yesterday, “Martha, I’m afraid I have regressed and don’t really know where I want to start today.”
My answer? “That’s life.”
We are all in the same boat. At the close of the year, we are especially prone to list all the projects we did not complete… again! We can think of so many “shoulda, woulda, coulda’s”. Let me give you an example.
Before I began working fulltime as an organizer, I joined a quilting guild. I was all excited and more so when I won nine Christmas blocks in a raffle. I was going to make such a neat wall hanging! It was too close to the actual holiday to get it done. Had to put the blocks and my plans away.
The next year, I got the blocks out, and noticed a couple of the blocks were not put together as well as I would like. I took them apart and repaired the errors.
The year following, I actually charted the layout and bought material for sashing and borders:
After storing the parts in my closet for several years, I finally thought,
this is ridiculous! I simplified the design, cut the sashing and borders, and sewed the top together.
The next year I basted the sandwich: top, quilt batting, and back. I am ready to quilt… any time now. Ha!
We all have regrets and wish we had done things differently. The best thing we can do right now, rather than “shoulding” all over ourselves, is to take a step back and evaluate what went right.
What is one intention that yielded results you feel good about?
Whom did you take that bit of extra time to encourage?
Where did you make progress where you never did before?
How were you able to use your talents and abilities to make a difference?
For those things that didn’t get done,
just get over it!
Even better, decide: How big a priority is it? Who can help make it less of a mountain?
Where do you want to go from here? Then make a plan.
This is mine. I have determined that I can reasonably hand quilt one block a month. That will put me ready to bind edges in October. Then I will finally be done – less than one year from now. Keep me accountable? I’m happy to do the same for you. :)