Making Changes ... Making Space for Change

Frustration was the theme this week ... frustration with myself. There are so many things I would like to do and changes I would like to make and I am very aware that there is not an infinity of time. Yet, it seems that there is always a reason why I can't do this, a conflict that prevents me from doing that, a commitment that must take precedence over the plans I have made.

Alright, we all have responsibilities and commitments we must attend to but most of us can make room for other things in our lives. I refuse to let this frustration become overwhelming and to just give up. I have decided to look at my life as it is now and figure out what is really getting in the way. What have I discovered so far?

I haven't made space for the things I want to change in my life and add to my life.

When I say space, I don't just mean physical space but also space in time and mentally. For example: Sewing. I have finally made the commitment to return to sewing but have yet to begin. I have the sewing machine, patterns to choose from, fabric and notions and I have this wonderful blog community to reach out to for advice and encouragement. But, I don't have the space to sew. Rather, I have not created the space to sew.

Yes, I live in a small apartment and yes, a lot of my space does double duty. But I want to sew. And though I have decided to spend some of my free time sewing, I haven't made the time. I've just counted on the time being there. And mentally, I am continuing to find other things to do instead of sewing. I am not making the space.

Time to make space in my life for what I want in my life and, to that end, here's my plan for the week.

1) All of my sewing supplies and notions and create a storage space that is for crafting only.

2) Create a work space for my sewing - it will probably be a shared space with my business work space.

3) Practice setting up and breaking down the work space. (I know this may sound silly but for those of you who have small spaces, you know how frustrating it can be to have an hour to sew or to craft but to have to spend the first fifteen minutes setting up and the last fifteen minutes breaking down the space.)

4) Clean and oil my sewing machine.

5) Choose my pattern and fabric.

6) Schedule time to sew and sew.

My goal is to begin laying out an cutting my fabric by next Saturday. Before the end of next week I will set a specific time for this.

Thank you for reading and letting me vent.

Are you making space in your life for the things you want? Have you been frustrated like me? Do you have any good advice for making space? I would love to hear from you.

Happy Sewing!