The Best Advice I’ve ever Received {Behind the scenes at QNN TV}

About a month ago, I flew up to the Handi Quilter facilities in Salt Lake City to film an upcoming episode for Quilt It! A show on QNN TV.

Have you ever been so nervous that you forget to enjoy an amazing experience? Do you get to the end of “the big event” and say “that wasn’t so bad. I want to do it again!”?

The Quilt It! and Handi Quilter folks and guests waiting for Pizza, yum! Photo courtesy of Christa (Christa Quilts).

. . .

I was merely a Freshman in high school. A nearly unbelievably skinny 15 year old, who had grown tall and hadn’t yet filled out yet. (I gained 30 pounds between Freshman and Sophomore years. Gosh I wish I had the picture still. I was laughably skinny.) It was May 1996 and we were at the State track meet and I was running anchor on the 4x200m team (I think). This was big. Huge! The State Meet? I was so outta my league. We all were really. Our team must have been overwhelmed with nerves. We must have been completely different kids – all quiet and reserved for nervousness.

That’s when one of the coaches gave us (me) the best advice I think I’ve ever received.

Don’t be so nervous that you rush through, forgetting to have fun and enjoy the experience. 

I was right. We were out of our league. We lost our race. Actually we didn’t lose, but we finished in the worst place. The place where you are the first not to get a medal. If I remember correctly. I remember beginning to tear up as I crossed the finish line knowing we didn’t get any precious medal.  An upperclassman comforted me saying there will be other races. Next year. We’ll be back.

Even though we lost, I managed to remember to have fun and not let nervousness take control. Sure I was anxious. But it WAS fun. Running in front of all those people. Feeling the wind race by me. Running so fast I almost fell over. Competing at State as a Freshman. It was FUN!

. . .

It was this advice I took with me to Salt Lake City as I filmed my episode for Quilt It! The long arm quilting show on QNN TV.

My set is all ready! For each guest, the crew changes out the machine as necessary and the quilts on the wall.

Did I feel out of my league? Sure, a little bit. Was I nervous? Of course, but just a little.

Jodie Davis and me, right before “action”. I d do look a *little* nervous, don’t I? 🙂

I enjoyed the experience tremendously. The Handi Quilter folks, the production crew and Jodie and Vicky were an easy team to work with and everything went smoothly. And when it didn’t go as planned, the team worked together to rework and fix what needed to be addressed.

The view from the back.

Behind the scenes at Quilt It!

All in all it was a great experience. I remembered to have fun. But I still got to the end of it and thought, “I want to do that again!”

Behind the scenes at Quilt It!

Of course, I’ve forgotten this advice periodically through the years as nervousness occasionally wins out over my rational thought. (Public speaking, shaking hands!) So I need to continually remind myself.

That’s a big needle, y’all! And this is my “trying not to laugh face”. 🙂

So I will say to you (and myself), be nervous, but not so nervous you forget to enjoy the experience. 

. . .

My episode will air in December. I’ll talk more specifically about what you will learn in my episode closer to the air date. But QNN TV does have many many other quilting shows you may enjoy, including Tula Pink’s reality show which just dropped (aren’t we cool! heh). I’ll be watching Tula tonight!

If you are interested in signing up for QNN TV, click here. You can join monthly for just $7.99 or annually for $69.99 (or $5.83 a month).