Green Grass

In last week’s All Stitched Up! we spoke about comparison and unpacked some of the steps Hannah Brencher has taken in her own life to swap comparison for productivity. These included celebrating the achievements of others and creating a ‘Be Present’ box in which she placed anything that was serving as a distraction, ensuring she was focused on the work in front of her rather than getting lost in comparing what she was achieving with the highlight reels of others.

The truth is, it’s all too easy to surrender our own joy with needle and thread when we see someone doing something different to us, then finding ourselves wanting their ‘something’ rather than what’s before us. Whilst there’s nothing wrong with being inspired by the work of others, sometimes the line between inspiration and comparison can become blurred and we find ourselves on the wrong side of it all too quickly!

Since penning Hannah’s suggestions about swapping comparison for productivity, we came across a quote from Neil Barringham that summed up another solution to the all too tempting pastime of comparison.

‘The grass is greener where you water it.’

Not only do we all too often fail to see the ‘green’ in our own journey with needle and thread, but if we’re willing to admit to it, there are also seasons when we have to confess that we haven’t done the work that’s needed to keep our own ‘grass’ flourishing the way we’d like it.

So how can we water our grass?

We can begin by rising above the urge to look over the fence at what appears to be greener grass than ours, buy the tools we need, commit to gaining the knowledge we don’t yet possess and start breaking a sweat that will ensure our progress and ultimate success.

We also need to remind ourselves that the time we spend focusing on and worrying about the achievements of others, is wasting the time we could otherwise spend on our own journey with needle and thread.

We’d love to hear how you water your needlework journey and the ways in which you swap comparison for productivity. Email news@inspirationsstudios.com, we can’t wait to hear from you.