Dare to Finish Projects!

My old favorite saying was, “Imagine the Possibilities.” I still subscribe to that notion quite a bit, but I’ve found a new favorite saying that is more a drive to action and less a contemplative activity: “What Would You Attempt to Do if You Knew You Could Not Fail?” That brings up so many images in my mind. I would write a book, travel the world, make a nature notebook, become a great photographer, and somehow find a way to pay for it all. These are all things I wanted to do before, but somehow the new saying pushes me to actually do more, not to just think about it. I’ve been trying very hard to take the advice of my loved ones, both friends and family, who have encouraged me to do things, make my goals happen, try my hardest, and realize that I can do anything I want to do.

I have a few things holding me back, though. One of the two big things is time. I’ve examined my life lately and realized that I do tend to waste quite a bit of time. I’ve tried to whittle away the time suckers and just do the things that matter, to me or to someone else. It’s hard to keep new time suckers away, however!

The second very large thing keeping me from allowing myself to succeed at my many goals is my perpetual problem of not finishing projects. I start really awesome things, and then I get distracted by another really awesome thing. Then craft projects, writing projects, many other types of projects sit unfinished.

I recently learned some terms that describe this part of me. Apparently I’m a Scanner and a Renaissance Soul. I have too many interests to stick to just one or two, and I often get distracted by the next thing before finishing the current one. There are a couple of books about this (see links below) that I haven’t read yet, but am very tempted to do so. I’ve even joined the Scanners & Renaissance Souls group on Facebook!

Being a Jane of all Trades, Mistress of None has been an advantage and a disadvantage in my life. It’s an advantage because I can talk to people about just about anything. I am interested in so many things that I’m always excited to learn new things. I do pretty well at Trivial Pursuit. I love just about every subject that we do for homeschool. It’s a disadvantage because I have a hard time finishing projects, and I’m not an expert in anything. I would love to delve deeply into one subject and know it better than anyone else. However, something else always comes along to pull me away. This is why I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up (other than a mom). This is why I have too many goals, few of them reached, and a ton of book ideas and notes, but no books written. This is why I’m drowning in fabric but no specific plans of what to do with it.

Part of the problem may be that I don’t want to miss anything in life. I’m often the first one to arrive at a party and the last one to leave. But not missing anything ironically makes me miss many other things. I don’t take the time for the things I truly want to do, and spend too much time doing unnecessary life maintenance tasks. Since we began homeschooling a few years ago, television has taken a less prominent place in my life. But the Internet has taken a much more prominent place. I spend too much time reading blogs and making sure I don’t miss anything cool that comes down the pipeline. I have to start allowing myself to miss things and cut out many of my daily routines.

Another part of the problem is that the things that I really want to do require uninterrupted time. I don’t have much of that, since I’m at home with the kids. I can’t sew well if I’m constantly getting up to help one of them with something. I can’t research and write a book if they’re asking me something and pulling me out of my concentration. If only I needed less sleep at night!

I haven’t given up my goals, though. I am still determined to do the things I want to do. I’m going to try harder to do them during the summer months, when we’re not doing school, and to carve out a little time now and then to work on them at other times.