It's Like Throwing Good Money After Bad

It’s like Throwing Good Money After Bad

We've all heard this expression, and I've used it often. But today I had a thought as I was working on an art project that wasn't going as I'd hoped.

What if I also applied this idiom to time?

"Don't throw good time after bad?" That more clearly explains the feeling I had as I worked on a "Word of the Year" art card for a buyer.

I wasn't happy with the foundational colors I'd put down to create a delphinium, a flower which symbolizes "openness"—my buyer's chosen word of the year. I'd gone too dark on the base colors, and try as I might, I was unable to lighten it up. I had a list of 9 more orders to complete this weekend, and so I put the card aside, started over from scratch, and came up with a much more pleasing design representing the idea of "openness."

In the morning when I re-entered my studio, I saw the discarded card on my desk and decided to try again to rework it. All the while feeling the pressure of new orders piling up and the excitement of new words to illustrate.

As I was doing my best to shift the background, add a light-colored checkerboard pattern, and put more highlights on the dark delphinium petals, I had this thought: "Why am I throwing good time after bad?"

The thought struck me so strongly because time is the most precious resource I have.

Time is non-renewable. Once it is spent, it is gone. Never to be recovered.

I've become increasingly aware of the preciousness of time and being very conscious and intentional in how I spend my available time.

I'm noticing and feeling a strong sense of dissatisfaction when I get sucked into scrolling on my phone. I'm becoming more disciplined about binge-watching shows that I can barely remember the plot line of. And I'm not forcing myself to engage in activities that don't fulfill me in ways that align with my values: family, friends, pets, nature, art.

I am becoming more curious with myself and asking the question: "Is what I'm doing right now contributing positively to my physical, spiritual, emotional, and financial health? Or is it taking away?"

And if I find it is taking away, I determine whether it’s necessary or something I can let go of.

Trying to rework a piece of art that I already invested my time in and is going nowhere is absolutely something I can let go. I just have to explore my feeling of wasted effort and what it means. Sometimes acknowledging that time was spent, identifying what I learned in the process, and then letting it go is the best path forward.

So I've started a file of "art in progress" which I can drop the piece into, and someday maybe I will rework it or have an alternative use, like a collage or digital project. But for today, I am grateful for the learning and the experience, and now I'm moving on.

Where are you throwing good time after bad?

What can you let go of or set aside for now that will clear space for more joy and peace? I'd love to hear from you—drop a comment below or send me a message with your thoughts.

To learn more about my newest venture, go to: https://BethWonsonIsCurious.com