Stop Doing What Doesn't Make You Happy

So many of you know that I am a knitter in my spare time. There is this terrific idiom amongst knitters: a UFO. An UnFinished Object. We have who discussions about how many UFO's we have sitting around and if we should finish or rip out a particular UFO or not. We have groups you can join that will help motivate you to finish your UFO, some even will finish a UFO for you, or rip it out for you if you just don't have the heart to do it yourself.

Sometimes UFO's can make me happy. Having multiple projects on the needles gives me options. Maybe I don't want to knit a complicated lace pattern in the car, instead I pick up a washcloth instead. But sometimes UFO's can make you sad and overwhelmed and can become a block to your creativity. When do you keep pushing on and when do you just give up?

This really is for all things. When do you give up on reading that book that you just aren't into? When do you give up on that half finished project sitting in your workshop? When do you drop the yoga class you are miserable going to on Mondays at 6 am?

Just stop them now. tear them out, pass them on, decided they are "done enough" anything to keep them from being a drain on your creativity and happiness. Think of the book you are not finishing because you don't particularly like it. Are you sitting and playing video games instead of reading this book you can't seem to get into? Will giving up one half finished book open up the flood gates of other possibilities so you can enjoy reading again?

We all have that list. Those things to do that never get done. They sit there, sometimes from year to year. Really, if it's been on your list to do for 12 months is it that important? Is it so important you need to see it written down day after day?

So when I look at a UFO that has been sitting there I ask myself: is it blocking me from doing some other project. If the answer is yes, then I either finish it or tear it out. If no, then I can pick up another project and look at the UFO as just another option. Heck, it's taken me a year to knit a sweater, little by little, when I felt like I had the mental capacity to tackle it. But it did get done, it did see progress.

But is amazing how much lighter I feel when I just stop doing something I hate. I don't always get that option, but when I do, I seize the opportunity.