I was just having a similar conversation with a longtime friend about how differently I quilt now than I did years ago. I feel a large part of that is due the support and encourage I have found on this board.
Years ago, I was fortunate enough to belong to a quilt group of extremely talented, but very particular, ladies who made show quality quilts. I also had the opportunity to take classes from several well known quilters. I am thankful for many of the skills and techniques I learned during that time. However, I was also heavily influenced about the "right" way to quilt, and feel that it limited me as a quilter. I ended up taking several years off from quilting, and only started up again about a year ago.
I realize now I have no interest in making show-quality quilts--I want to make quilts that will be used, misused, abused, and, above all else, loved. Quilts with coordinating fabrics are beautiful, but I would rather throw any fabric I have into the scrappy quilts I now realize I truly love to make, no matter where I got the fabric. I have no problem using thrifted sheets as a backings. I refuse to spend hours with a seam ripper taking apart a seam that is the tiniest bit off to make it perfect, when I could instead make 3 more blocks. My fmq has gone from awful to mediocre. With more practice, it may even reach the "not bad" stage one day. I'm working my way through my stash and my UFOs, even if it means giving them away or throwing them out, and I feel a weight being lifted.
I am not only a more productive quilter, but I enjoy it so much more than I did before, which in turn makes me happier overall.