If you’ve never been a quilter, you might not have no clue of what an “almost” or UFO is. How many things in life for you have been “almost’s?”
I used to beat up on myself for not finishing things, but I look at them differently today. I am glad that I started something I had in my mind, and I also realize that I don’t need to finish every single thing I start. Sometimes it is enough just to bring the idea into reality, or I do this with techniques too, seeing if I can do something, or if I enjoy doing it, and then that is quite enough.
I remember when my former husband and forever friend, Spencer H. MacCallum, an anthropologist who discovered some now famous potters down in Mexico, talked about the way that the potters, without any aids, could create the design on a round pot perfectly from one side to the other so that when you looked down on the pot, it was identical on each side. I wanted to see for myself, so I made a pot and tried to paint a curvilinear design on each side that would be identical. I could not do it and it showed me that it takes some time to develop such a skill.
The important thing to remember is that if you start something and don’t finish it, don’t beat up on yourself. You can never fail when you are trying to discover something. The only failure is the failure to try at all.
All in a Day's Breath 
Reblogged this on Campbells World and commented:
I’d like to invite and encourage you to click on over and read all this post. Then please check out the book, Anne and others put together. You’ll not be disappointed.
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Thank you so kindly, Patty. May the sun shine on you always!
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Great and relevant message Anne
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Thank you so kindly, Savvy. I miss being able to have time to read all the posts from everyone. I am the caregiver now for my significant other, Richard, and I am hoping he is going to continue to get better from his surgeries and issues. I am just glad I can still make my own posts whenever I am able. It is always inspiring to hear from you. Love and hugs always, Anne
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This is so completely me. To start things and never finish them. Oh, well, sometimes I finish them 🙂
Love, light and glitter
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But as I noted, it is better to try things than never to try because we fear failure. And it is natural to start things and then realize that perhaps they are not things that were meant for us – we don’t like the thing we started, don’t feel a connection with it. I sort of think of it like being in the wrong room. We walk into a room, realize it is the wrong room, and then leave because we realize that it is just not the right one. No harm done. And we learned something about ourselves and who we not the person who wants to do that type of thing. So we never need to beat up on ourselves when we don’t finish something. When things are right for us, we do finish them because we are in the right place.
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Yes, definitely. And sometimes we go back to the projects we’re in the mood of then 🙂
Everything definitely teaches us something new about ourselves.
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Great post, Anne!
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There is no such thing as failure, there are only results. If it’s not the one you desire, change your course of action and try again. Then you’ll produce another result.
Richardmacalintal.com
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Excellent, Richard. I agree. Never allow yourself to be intimidated by “not getting it right.” If it is not “right,” think about how you may be setting a way for yourself that is “right” according to standards you have learned from others. I agree about failure. Thank you very kindly.
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