Changing Your Perspective – Year in Review

Do you ever feel like you haven’t made any progress with your crochet business (or even your crochet skills)? This past year has been a true eye opener for me, in more ways than one. We’ve all heard the saying, “don’t look back you’re not going that way.” But I’m going to flip that and say, sometimes it takes looking back at where you started to see just how far you’ve come. Most companies do their year in review in December, or even the end of June, but for me today marks something more significant for my business, as well as me personally.

 

Looking Back - How to take life's struggles and turn them into lessons that you can learn and grow from.

 

Year in Review

 

Exactly one year ago today I had knee surgery to replace my ACL. This was after a very long couple months of personal struggle and I felt deflated. My husband and I had been through a rough time (thankfully we made it to the other side), and I lost a friendship through those struggles with my husband because I leaned too heavily on someone for an ear to listen. Then I tore my ACL while we were moving.

I was ordered to stay off my feet for 3 weeks. I’m always on my feet and never sit for very long, so this left me feeling down and isolated, not to mention pouting and mad. Then, my awesome friend Shilo (from Shilo’s Gifts and Notions) said to me, “Why don’t you get caught up on all those patterns you never have time to publish?” Well, duh…. Why didn’t I think of that?! I proceeded to put all my energy and frustration into my business. That’s when I learned this:

 

There’s a big difference between being still
and doing nothing. 

 

Yes, I had to be still, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t do anything. I set out to look on the bright side and see all the positive things I could gain from this lesson I was walking sitting through.

Now, if you ask my husband what I learned he would probably say, “You’re not 20 anymore!”

If you ask my kids they would say, “Don’t jump off the monkey bars!” (It’s a long story, but yes, that’s how I tore my ACL.)

If you ask me, here’s what I’ve learned….

There’s a big difference between “be still” and “do nothing” and I became more determined than ever to keep my mind busy, even if my body had to be still. I ended up staying focused for that first month and published 4 patterns that had been on my to-do list for years!

Jordan Baby Sweater Set & Kisses & Crowns were on my list for months.

Play Ball Sports Fan Set was on my to-do list for 2 years!

Candy Cloud Burst Baby Afghan was on my to-do list for about 3 years!

 

Change Your Perspective to
Change Your Life

 

 

Getting things accomplished feels so good! Become determined to find the sunshine through the rain! Get a journal and write your life lessons down and then learn from them. Do whatever it takes to see how far you’ve come. Here are a few things that worked for me.

Try something new. Pick up your hook and try a new stitch. Try designing your own pattern. Invest in a crochet class to master a new technique. Teach someone else to crochet. Here are 2 blog posts that may help.

One (baby) step at a time. Just because you can’t see how far you’ve come doesn’t mean you’re not moving in the right direction. Make a list and work on just one thing at a time. Don’t get overwhelmed by the big picture.

Progress looks different for everyone. If you’re struggling with your crochet business, or learning a new stitch, or anything in general, don’t compare yourself to others. Only compare yourself to how you were doing yesterday. Most of all….believe in yourself!

Patience can be one of the hardest things to learn if it doesn’t come naturally. Take a deep breath, count to 10 (or 100), close your eyes and actually imagine yourself calm. Do whatever it takes to practice and learn patience. It’s a skill worth having. I’m still not the most patient person, but I’m working on it. Practice makes perfect!

Stay focused on your goal. Write down your long term goals. What do you want to do in the next year (or two). Take those one or two big goals and break them down into pieces/steps. What can you do in the next 3 months to work towards achieving that goal? Then break that 3 month goal down and decide what you can accomplish in the next 3 weeks. You will have a higher success rate if you review your goal(s) often to keep them fresh in your mind.

If you need more tips, read 5 Challenges to Make You a Better Crocheter.

 

Happy Crocheting!

 

 



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