After I've been working on a piece for a while, she'll come around to me and remind me to stand back a bit, and look at my work from a distance. She can see that I've become entranced with the details of my work, and overlook my progress with the "big picture".
If you like to craft or do needlework of any sort, then you've likely experienced this over-focus on the details. You see the flaws, because you are close to your work, but nobody else even notices what you perceive to be monumental errors. It isn't until I step back and try to see my work through fresh eyes that I can think to myself, "yeah, this looks pretty good!"
And I tend towards this narrow vision, in life itself. I focus on specific areas, those with which I feel I'm most failing. With my role in our family's finances, I sometimes feel I should be doing better -- more exacting, more precise, more perfect. I pretty much know that I'm doing great with our grocery budget. And I feel comfortable with how much we spend on utilities. But I do feel I could do better with other areas, like shopping around for a better rate for our car/home owner insurance. Or taking more economical vacations.
Then I'm reminded to step back, and look at our financial "big picture". We're on track with our goals. We are comfortable with our giving. And even when I'm critical with my spending choices, overall, we are quite sensible with our spending. While details do matter, fussing too much with the details detracts from my overall satisfaction with our finances.
There are no grades in my art class. I either show up and do the work to learn new skills, or I miss out. It's the process and not the final piece that matters. When I'm sewing a pair of pj pants for one of my daughters, I know I won't be graded on the final product. I could very easily buy a pair of pj pants of similar or even better quality than I sew. But that's not the point. The love is in the "making". And fortunately, there won't be a financial report card issued at the end of this life. If I don't manage every aspect of our finances perfectly, we'll still be okay. The big picture looks good.
