This morning was a time for reflection, inspiration, and a way for my mind to quiet. If only, for just a minute. Life has a tendency to focus on the end result, rather than the journey. Well friends, I’m here to tell you, that the joy is in the journey.
In reading Jo’s letter, I felt a sense of calm come over me. It led me through many intentional thoughts, ideas, and forward thinking moments. Her statement, “In a culture that tends to glorify endings and finish lines, it’s common to see the final product of something and not pay a lot of attention to how it came to be.”
As of late, I’m an intentional knitter. An intentional business woman. I have a purpose and plan for every project moving forward. I’ve pulled myself from larger projects because they don’t speak to my intentionality. Such a strong word, when you sit down to think about its meaning.
Intentionality – The fact of being deliberate or purposive.
I could relate to her when she said, “The journey has been the most essential part. The edits, adjustments, sidesteps, and occasional fire drills. The false starts, the rewrites, and start-overs that don’t always feel like progress until you see that it was the only way forward.”
I don’t know about you, but this tells me that intentional projects are how we can measure where we land. Intentional projects will involve all those stated above, but in the end it moved us forward.
“While it’s natural to want to drop anchor in a place that suits us for a while, at some point our bodies and minds yearn to move.” ~Joanna
Are you shaking your head YES right now?
My new course to moving forward has me being willing to see things differently. Chart my course in a way that is intentional and planned out. I’ve done it a certain way for 13 years as a designer, that in some ways, feel intentional. But then I’d venture off on a diagonal, maybe in circles, so often not a straight line. The end result managed to be what I wanted, but I feel there’s a more direct route to a successful conclusion.
I’m opening myself up to forward thinking that will stir some renewed excitement for Knit On Designs. Create collections, rather than one-offs. Write content for the blog that feels intentional. Take photos that give meaning to my work.
And paraphrasing Jo’s words… in the end, it’s the stories that shape us, the ones that define how we grow.
What’s your story? How can you find intentionality in your business and/or your life? Whether you’ve ever thought of this, or it’s the first time reading something on this topic, I encourage you to find intention in wherever your next winding road takes you.
Knit On Designs 