All that talk about me being a quitter in last week’s post reminded me of a quote I found once on Pinterest. It was a quote from Sonja Foust, an author, that read, “If you don’t like what you’re doing, stop. Sometimes you get it in your head that you want to be a writer or a painter or a weight-lifter or whatever and then when you start doing it, you don’t actually like it that much, but you keep trying because it was your dream, dammit! Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s your dream and you can kill it if you want to.” Now, on the heels of my emphasis on determination, I thought I would clarify that it is okay to change your mind and stop doing something. I’m doing a quitter’s giveaway to clarify my point.
So, here’s the deal. When I started diving into The Power of a Bucket List at age 19, I had a much different list forming. It had a couple of items that I THOUGHT I dreamed of doing; for instance, sewing. Making my own clothes sounded fabulous. I had purchased a sewing machine with high hopes, but they flitted away as a friend of mine taught me how to make pajama bottoms. It was fun at first, but it slowly became a frustrating task and I found that I was often handing over my pajama bottoms to my friend for her help. The project made me realize that I do not like sewing. Using the machine had its perks and I enjoyed the results when things turned out properly, but overall it’s a very meticulous activity that I have little patience for doing. Plus, it’s not as affordable as I thought it might be, so I couldn’t even justify sewing as being worth my time and money. I learned that what I really wanted was the ability to sew on a button and fix a hem, when the need arose. All the really cool creations are best left in the hands of my Step-mom, who is an excellent seamstress, and my daughter, who can get lost in the activity for hours on end.
That being said, I would like to give away my copy of Sew What! Skirts: 16 Simple Styles You Can Make with Fabulous Fabrics
I joke that this is a quitter’s giveaway, but I truly don’t consider myself a quitter on this matter. I think it’s perfectly okay to try something out and realize that it’s not for you. Isn’t that what all those years of dating were all about? We can learn new things about ourselves as we grow older. Many times our experiences lead us to re-prioritize what matters most to us. Sewing is certainly a great skill to have, but it’s not the type of skill that I want to further develop. I’d rather put forth the time to become healthier physically, which is saying a lot about how I feel about sewing.
Have you tried something that you thought you would love only to find out that it’s not really your thing? Or, did you think you wanted to try something but realize that it was more the idea of such an activity than the reality? I know at one point I contemplated sky-diving, just because it seemed cool. However, after giving it real consideration, I don’t have the desire at all. Also, as I mentioned in last week’s post, I thought I wanted to run a full marathon and then admitted to myself that the idea of running that long sounds horrifying. A half marathon will do nicely. To enter this quitter’s giveaway, share with me your changed opinion about an activity in the comments below.
Remember, it’s your dream. You don’t really need to be quite as violent as Sonja’s quote above and “kill it,” but there is truth in her words. It’s perfectly okay for YOUR DREAM to change to fit the real you, who you’ve come to know, versus a forced idea of what you once thought you wanted to be in life.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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