So, You’ve Made A Fine Mess of Things.

I spent a large portion of today working on the final touches of an artwork that I had been in the process of creating for over a week, only for the file to get corrupted. I have no idea what happened in the half an hour that I stepped away from my laptop, but it was all gone by the time I wanted to go back to working on it. That was a huge amount of hard work that I watched go down the drain, today, and I don’t think I am particularly happy about it. But I did manage to start all over and complete about 50% of the artwork before I realized that I also had to write today.

I know how heartbreaking it can be to watch all of your hard work and effort go in vain because of things that you cannot possibly control. Is it valid of you to want to shut down and feel bad about all the work that you cannot recover? Absolutely; you have the right to feel things deeply. But is it a good enough reason to give up and never try again? Not really. Although, I would totally understand why so many of us give up on things when they refuse to go our way. It really is quite frustrating.

Today has been a lesson in hard work, patience, and most of all, perseverance. It is incredibly difficult to keep these three things balanced, and yet somehow, they all seem to go hand-in-hand.

I guess I could have given up and not done anything about it. I am not bragging about going back and trying to make that artwork all over again, but if I can do it, I don’t see why you cannot. Take things at your own time and at your own pace, but never let yourself be disheartened by the amount of things that aren’t really under your control. You are not at fault for those things. So, being harsh on yourself and giving up on something that means a lot to you is just unfair to your own capabilities.

So, you’ve made a fine mess of things, for no fault of your own. Maybe it is the circumstances. But how do you go forward from here now that you know it’s not even your doing?

You try again.

Now, I understand that not a lot of us are always able to get back into the thick of things right after we have failed at something, and that is completely alright. What isn’t okay, though, is telling yourself that you’re not cut out for it. If it took you a really long time to do something the last time, it’s probably going to take you less time to do it next because you’re already at an advantage. You know what to do and how to go about things. There is always some kind of a lesson hidden in your failures.

The next time you’re faced with a situation that goes out of your control for no fault of your own, take a beat, gather yourself, take whatever time you need, and only if you’re up for it, try again. Maybe you’re not close to your destination yet, but you are already closer to it than you were yesterday.

As for making a mess of things? Whether you can fix things or do something about it rests entirely up to you.

Make wise choices! Xx

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Featured Image by Steve Johnson on Unsplash