Try Everything!

When I was in high school, I had a part time job doing paperwork at a doctor’s office. It was my job to alphabetize all the old patient files, pull out all the billing info, but keep and staple all of the medical info, just in case it was needed later.

I worked 4 hour shifts and it was boring. Really, really boring. There was a radio I could listen to but after a few weeks, I was sick of all the songs on my pop rock station. In desperation, I thought of listening to a country music station.

But my internal voice shouted, “NO! Eww. I didn’t like country music and I won’t listen to it.” Then another thought came to me. So radical that it stopped me in my tracks.

“If you don’t like it, you can change the station.”

I had felt like someone was forcing me to do something, so I dug my heals in. But no one was making me listen to country music and I could stop listening whenever I wanted. So I changed the station, listened for a bit, then changed back to pop rock.

Over time, I started listening to more and more country. It was fun and invigorating to get to know and like new songs instead of listening to the same old songs. Sure, I still changed the station sometimes when I didn’t like a song, but a whole new world of music possibilities had opened up.

Years later, I took a country dance class in college (best PE credit ever!) and my roommates and I went country dancing on Saturday nights. This guy from my genetics class would come along too and guess what? I married him!

Trying new things can open up endless possibilities.

When I started quilting, I was terrified of foundation paper piecing. It was weird and confusing. “The fabric goes what way? And on the back of the paper?” It was hard to wrap my mind around.

Then I saw a quilt block so cute that I just had to make it. And guess what? It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. Did I have to unpick some seams? You bet I did! But I was so proud of my quilt block!

What if I had tried it and didn’t like it? Guess what? I could have thrown the quilt block away and stuck with traditional piecing. Not a big deal. Just a bit of wasted fabric and time.

But because I tried it, I had fun, kept on foundation paper piecing, made some great projects, and then started designing my own foundation paper piecing patterns. I never would have thought that was possible. Not in a million years!

Is there anything on your list that you are scared to try? Positive you won’t like? English paper piecing? Appliqué? Zumba? Fancy cooking?

Give it a try! Worse case scenario? It doesn’t work. You can always ‘change the station’. But if you enjoy it, you’ve just opened up a world of possibilities.

I can’t wait to see what you make next!