Wednesday, February 15, 2017

A Girl, A Metal Detector, And The Day She Found NOTHING!

I have a little story to tell.  It involves a girl, a metal detector, and a day where she found nothing.
Now this girl loves detecting.  Even if she doesn't find anything but pull tabs and pop tops, while certainly frustrating, she still enjoys being out in nature digging in the dirt...especially with friends.

One day this girl was out detecting and she didn't find anything of note.  Her friends each dug up a few cool items and she began to get a little frustrated.

"Why haven't I found anything?" she questioned. 
"Am I going too fast?"
"Maybe I'm ready for an upgrade to my machine."

These thoughts kept running through her mind as she became increasingly agitated over her failure to produce so much as a wheat penny.  She completely dismissed the amazing bracelet she had dug just two days prior.  Why she was questioning herself is anyone's guess!  She has proven to be a capable detectorist. She knows her machine and has gone toe to toe with high-end detectors.  In fact, until that day she had never so much as questioned the capabilities of her detector.  It had never let her down.  Generally any lack of results rested on the the scarcity of items to be found in the area.   Yet here she was questioning herself and her machine.

While the girl was very happy her friends had found something, believing a day where anyone walks away with a decent find is a success.  Heck, as far as she was concerned, even if nothing was found, as long as everyone had fun, it was a good dig!  But she was still beating herself up.

That night she awoke at 2:00 AM and struggled to find sleep.  She opened YouTube on her phone and was instantly intrigued by a video that claimed to know the "secret to metal detecting".

"What's the secret?" she wondered, "I need to know this secret!!!" 

The video in question was focused on a simple premise: Confidence. Confidence not only in your machine, but in yourself! This resonated like a gong!

"I totally psyched myself out today!" she said out loud.

"I do have confidence!"

"I do have faith in my machine and my abilities."

"Why did I do that to myself?" she wondered.

OK, if you haven't already guessed, the girl in this story is me. I had an "off day" this past Saturday and utterly dismissed the amazing bracelet I had just dug Thursday afternoon. I was so focused on my next successful dig that I completely got in my own way. While I had a good time digging with my friends, as the day went on I couldn't help but feel like a failure for not having anything tangible to show for my efforts.--As if decent finds are the only gauge of my skills as a detectorist. With this kind of attitude it's no wonder I didn't find anything!

My detector is more than adequate and produces amazing finds. I know how to detect. I'm actually quite good at it. If the finds are there and I put my coil over it, I'm going to dig it!

With renewed confidence and a better attitude, I went back out on Sunday with my usual goal.--To simply go out, have fun, and see what comes out of the ground.  No expectations.  No demand on myself to dig something epic.  Just have fun!

And that is precisely what I did. I even played a practical joke on my friends. I had an amazing time and as the day progressed, guess what... 

I dug a confederate civil war bullet and a 1926 mercury dime!!!

Attitude is half the battle!  Always remember, if your digging just to dig something epic, you're missing out on the best parts of the hobby!  Go out there and have a good time, maybe rescue some relics along the way, but always... ROCK metal detecting!!!

P.S. If you want to watch that bracelet, bullet, and coin come out of the ground (along with other awesome relics) check out this video:Purr-fectly Balanced for Silver (and Civil War)


xoxo Siren Kimmie (HDIC Girls Rock Metal Detecting)

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