A few weeks ago I started my very first diamond painting project. Iโll admit, I took a look at it and was a little underwhelmed. First of all, I thought it would have something to do with paintโit didnโt.ย
I pulled everything out of the package, flattened out the canvas, and got to work. If youโve ever done a diamond painting before you know that it takes a while to complete. It can be an incredibly meditative experience but only if you have the right tools.ย
I began attempting to pick up the gems with the tool that came in the package but they wouldnโt grab without excessive force. It came with a little pink square which I tried to put the applicator on but nothing happened. I went back to the reviews on Amazon and most people were saying how simple and smooth the process was. I spent hours jamming each gem onto the applicator to the extent that I rubbed my thumb raw. The next day I tried using gloves and ended up snapping the applicator entirely.ย
Believe me when I tell you I was gearing up to write a scathing review on Amazon. Determined to finish this project, my husband melted a part of the applicator and put it back together for me. It was still really challenging though and I was losing heartโand feeling in my thumb.ย
My twelve year old daughter came up behind me and asked me why I wasn’t using the pink stuff.ย
โHuh?โ was my eloquent response.ย
She peeled back a layer of plastic on the pink square I hadnโt seen and dipped the applicator into it and the gems practically flung themselves off the table to get onto the applicator. My jaw dropped.ย
I had all the tools I needed the entire time but because I didnโt know how to use one of them, I made the project a thousand times harder than it needed to be. Iโve completed two and am halfway through a third one with another eight on deck. Itโs one of my favorite ways to pass my free time now.
Iโve thought about that moment many times since then.
How often have I made my life more difficult than it needed to be simply because I didnโt know how to use the tools God gifted me with?
I no longer believe that I need different tools or a new canvas to succeed in life. What I need the most is the wisdom to know how to use the gifts I already have in the most effective and impactful ways possible.ย
We already have everything we need but if weโre not using the tools at our disposal in the way theyโre meant to be used then weโre going to struggle. And worse, itโs possible weโll blame ourselves or the creator for that failure. If youโre not sure how to use everything youโve been given, then ask for the wisdom you need instead of asking for different tools. You donโt need different tools, you just need to know how to use them.ย
xo Meggan
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Meggan Larson is an award winning author (best selling on Amazon), course creator, wife, mom, and adoptee. She currently lives in Ottawa, Canada with her husband and three children. She helps women tell their beautiful, powerful, and authentic stories. You can connect with her at megganlarson.ca or email her at hello@megganlarson.com
