How often in life do you find yourself doing the same thing without really thinking about why you do it that way or taking the time to question yourself about whether you could do it better (or maybe not do it at all?)?
This new phase of my life has me questioning myself all the time. Most notably when I'm wondering "Did I do the right thing?" or "Can it really be this simple?" So far, I usually push those deep thoughts away by busying myself with the next to-do on my list (yes, I still keep lists).
When I'm in production mode, as the last six weeks before a sale gets defined, it's easy to run on auto-pilot. And not take chances. There are so many decisions that I have to make - do I make one more scarf? do I have time to do that with all the other glass and fiber products I need to complete? But this week I hit a snag that made me question my own timelines and process. I was down to four cones of yarn left for one more scarf. And I wasn't sure if I should make a "safe" scarf in blue/white (that would be a second scarf in that color pattern) or if I should try an unknown combo with the dark purple/ light purple combo that certainly looked yummy on their cones. My sniffling self-voice of doubt was loud ("But you don't know what it will look like!"). And I *was* on a timeline. And it *does* take work and time to warp a loom, especially if I decided then that I didn't like it....the self-doubt whirled like snowflakes. Taking a risk could slow me down....... Then I thought..why am I so skittish? Remember my end goal - it's all about raising funds to support arctic research. Take a risk! Trust my mantra (same, same, different)...do the same (pattern), same (wool/silk yarn), different (color). Trust my process.
Well Tah dah!! Pulling this finished purple beauty (right) off the loom put me in a really happy mood all week. And I got to run the cameras in Churchill. All the viewers during my shift were rewarded with the amazing view of a polar bear (above) checking out the Polar Bear International's Buggy One. And I saw more bears each day that I was online!
So my lesson for this week? Trust. Trust creative output. Trust the abilities I have. Trust that calculated risks are going to be okay. Trust that the work I'm putting into this each day will result in an outcome that I'll be proud of. Oh, and don't forget to reward myself with the beauty of this earth every day. Remember that each day is the only one we get. Set priorities for that. Then the bigger questions get answered on their own ... did I do the right thing? yes. Can it really be this simple? yes.
I hope you too can enjoy your day.