Go big or go home!

Hi there fellow Quilters

"The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it." Moliere

I have been awfully quiet on this blog since the last post, but life, with all it's curves and tweaks, has happened to me in the meantime.

Having dealt with deeply painful losses and challenged with an unexpected move, it was also time to deal with unfinished business, which brings me to today's topic: The driving force of commitment. To truly commit to something, you need to stay honest with yourself, make it your work to stick to the challenge and do whatever it takes to honor your commitment. Consistency is king! Easier said than done, you say. Indeed. Sometimes we take off with a new project with the speed of lightning, only to fade away to a snail's pace or...let it die.

Nothing is as comfortable as a comfort zone, but when committed to something, you'll meet up with that little annoying voice inside yourself, whose favorite play time is night time. It spooks you to ridiculous dreams, waking you up in a sweat and causes restless nights. It's name is "conscience".

So, conscience knocked hard on my door to finish the course in Life Coaching that I have signed up for some 2 years ago. (Two years, you say! Have a heart...it is always nicer to quilt than to study...not?) Preparing to write the exam, (which I did, by the way, hooray!) I hit on a part of the material which I desire to share with my fellow fabric fanatics and the message here is: "In commitment, go BIG or go home!" * Instead of trying everything out there (and sometimes failing), why not try to be the best at what you do? That would mean for you to take the leap from being competent to being masterful. You'll have a lot of fun with that, because you are not trying to prove anything - you are just going to be a humble student again, freeing yourself up for amazing new learning experiences and applying them. Commit yourself to learn from others and take your work to the next level, challenging yourself and your skills while having fun.

In doing so, constantly ask yourself: "What do I need to become the best? Is it more training, more time spend, more techno or tools; what?" Maybe the biggest challenge will be to bring about the internal changes needed, viz. commitment and silencing the powerful little negative voice inside, telling you that you are not capable. If you are going to take the effort of starting on a new quilt, be impeccable with your standards. Why not make it your best quilt? But why, you ask? Because you can! Commit to your project and take it to the finishing line, being proud of what you have created. Each one will be better than the last.

So, how many UFO's (un-finished-objects) hide in your cupboards? Why did it become an UFO in the first place? Take the challenge to turn those painful reminders of non-commitment into the most desirable items. When its done, you'll have evidence of your masterful skills and in the process you'd give yourself wings to buy more beautiful fabrics.

Back to the machines, you go! Face those UFO's and be the master of commitment! Feel free to share the finished master pieces with all of us by leaving it in the comments block below.

Always yours in Quilting

Essie

* - With acknowledgement to the New Insights Life Coaching Program - Neil Asher