He Ran Over A Slip Resistant Ninja

Okay, I know that you are wondering what that title means and I really wish that I could help you with that. I was using Youtube to watch a knitting technique and I decided to try the button that places captions on the screen and he ran over a slip-resistant Ninja was the explanation for the stitch being performed.

One, this made me definitely want to make sure if I ever put anything up on Youtube that my captions matched my words and Two...it made me think about how things can be said but we hear them differently.

If a friend says, "You look great in that skirt," one will reply based on their personal assessment of the situation. If they handle complements well, it might be something like this, "Thanks, I just love this color on me."  If they handle complements badly, "Really, I think it is way too tight."  If they already had decided how they felt about it, "I knew this skirt would look horrible on me, you don't have to lie to me."

One of the spiritual seeds I planted this year was motivation.  True motivation is an amazing thing.  It can get you up in the morning with a smile and have you looking forward to working on goals.  It can help you move forward on things done that you've been stuck on.  It can help you walk those last 100 steps to achieve your step count.  It can stop you from eating more than a portion of food.  The ability to go forward is a powerful thing.

But how does welcoming in the spirit of motivation....motivate me if the voice I hear is for instance, full of Ninjas?  Hearing our true inner voice without coating it in doubt, worry, fear or uncertainty is truly something one must learn to do.  Hearing an authentic voice over the din of all the negative noise that we keep harbored within; is an art within itself.

An authentic voice is a loving voice.  It doesn't bribe or cajole.  It won't degrade or debase.  It won't list your shortcomings or make you feel less in any way.  It is the voice under all that negative noise; the quiet whisper, the small cheering section and the gentle hand that holds yours when you need help going forward. It will never judge you, even if you fail.  It will always believe in you even when you have forgotten how to believe in yourself.

I have been trying to shut out all the noise within me and listen to my authentic voice.  It is a hard process but each time I am successful that spirit of motivation gets stronger.  It starts to become contagious in a way and spills into a new area of my life.  Slowly, very slowly, order is being restored to my being and I feel almost whole again.  There is a balance being achieved each day between the things I have to do, with the things I need to do and the things I want to do.

But it is a slow process like this blanket.  Some days I need to be motivated to work on this blanket and other days I'm excited to watch the colors change.  The two colorways are now being merged in this square and I'm in love with the new pairings.

This blanket has helped me to see how to break down bigger goals into smaller ones that have pieces that can be accomplished each day.  The goals don't have to be huge either.  But just the continuity of working a little each day will allow a project to keep its momentum and that way I am motivated to work on it.

Another thing I do to keep motivated is to go over my three biggest goals each night and I imagine them completed or a step in there progress completed.  I see myself so happy that I was able to achieve this and I acknowledge that the journey is as important as the goal itself.

A simple scarf begins with one stitch.  Each project has a journey.  Some are long and may provide obstacles along the way.  Working over these hurdles grant us knowledge; they make us stronger.  And forgive the cliche, but with knowledge comes power.  A power that makes that quiet voice within you stronger.  A power that allows you to see just what you can accomplish when you put your heart into it. When you believe in yourself whole Universes open up to you and the possibilities are endless.

Happy crafting,
Ruinwen
:)

BTW:  This post does not in any way make out to slander the good name of the Ninja.  I have the highest respect for Ninjas and their ancient practices.