Stitching with Jess
Jessica Savage continues her series of charts you can stitch to award yourself, this time with a reminder not to limit your own potential…
Hullo! This month’s badge reminds us to challenge our perceptions of our own capacity. Next time you think, “I could never do that,” stop and ask yourself why.
I have brightly coloured hair and others often comment, “I wish I could do that, but I could never pull it off.” Trust me, you could! I’m not special I just like bright hair and decided to try it. But this ability to curtail our capacity goes beyond pink hair.
It’s easy to limit what you think you can achieve when people around you are risk adverse. When I left my job as a research scientist to be a cross-stitch designer, I got a few criticisms. Many were quick to focus on what I was leaving, and the risks involved. It was refreshing to realise they were projecting their fears onto me, rather than suggesting, good or bad, anything about my career.
These are complicated waters to navigate. When those around you suggest that your ambitions are foolhardy or worthless, it can seem simpler to just float with the natural ebb and flow of those around you. But if you let others guide your direction, you’ll be forever living out someone else’s life. It’s important to remain under your own power, exploring your own oceans.
Think of one thing you’d love to do but feel that you ‘can’t’. Who told you that? What proves that? What’s standing in your way? Can you move or circumnavigate those blocks? Can you work them into your goals? Question everything – ‘reality’ isn’t as fixed as it seems.
Every extraordinary feat has been achieved by an ordinary mortal person who said yes to their goals. You are an ordinary mortal person and you absolutely can chase whatever fulfils you, whether that’s working tirelessly towards leading government or it’s staying in on a Saturday night with a glass of wine and your latest.
So, think of something you’ve always wanted to do and decide to make space for it. Literally all options are open to you – aim high, then aim higher and watch yourself grow beyond what you thought was possible. If cross stitch has taught me anything, it’s that if I love what I’m doing then it doesn’t matter what the naysayers think. You can’t make everyone happy, but you deserve for yourself.
Stitch boldy! Jess