Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
“Invictus” by the English poet William Ernest Henley (1849–1903).
Dedication is an amazing thing. It allows people to choose a path and go instead of starting and giving up halfway. Amazing things come from a person being dedicated to an ideal or goal. I see so many dedicated people around me that it is inspiring.
Because of this I’ve realized that I have been using excuses, and not been as dedicated to some thing as I should be. One is the studio. The other is my health. As of this week, I’m planning on fixing that.
The Studio is in disrepair. I haven’t posted the new items I’ve made. I haven’t updated the photos & descriptions of what has already been posted. I haven’t made anything new for the Studio in almost four months. It’s truly unacceptable.
It’s not that I haven’t been crafting. I have. I have just been crafting things primarily for the wedding, and using that as an excuse to not get things done. No more. I’ve had the wedding. I’m married. If I can make such a huge commitment like that then this one should be easy, right? Starting this week there are no acceptable excuses except death or dismemberment.
I plan on getting back into a regular blogging habit. Most likely you’ll see posts on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday every week. And a special “Thanks” to ‘stone, who just did some upgrades on this site. With that goal, I am going to be making the dedicated step to keep the Studio up to date and not let it falter. If I actually want to craft for a living and not have to worry about a day job eating away my soul, I have to make the Studio successful enough that I can end my interment in the Gray Cube of Doom. I’m secretly; okay maybe it’s not much of a secret, jealous of people who can pursue their crafty endeavors without a day job and survive. People like the Dreadnaught Darling. Her story is fabulous. Read it. You’ll be slightly jealous too.
The second part of the new committed dedication is to my health. I’m a believer that a healthy, balanced diet along with regular exercise will do far greater things for you than an M.D. can. That statement is of course barring severe health issues that require a regular doctor’s attention, and then please, by all means, see your doctor/nurse practitioner/naturopath/witchdoctor. I just think an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That, and I hate swallowing pills.
However, in the last year I have stopped exercising regularly. I find this to be unacceptable. I have realized lately that I have been making excuses when it comes to exercise. I blamed the holidays. I blamed the wedding planning. I blamed a lack of gym membership. I blamed the lack of support at home. I blamed my hatred of working out alone. I blamed everything but my waning dedication. It’s no one’s fault but mine.
So, to that end I am back at the gym every morning before facing the Gray Cube of Doom. Today marks a week. It’s been a bit rough. I have found I am nowhere near as fit as I was almost a year ago. It’s humbling, and without encouragement from some pretty fabulous people I might give up again.
My friends are inspiring, and I can’t thank them enough. Still, I’d like to come close. So here is a handful of friendly faces that have my love.
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- Cassie is my bestie from High School. She’s so accomplished academically it would make your head spin.
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- Of course, The Dreadnaught Darling. Photocopyright Benito Vasquez 2012
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- Ah! My favorite gypsy! Check out what’s going on in the Gypsy’s Cabinet at www.thegypsyscabinet.blogspot.com
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- This is Laurie. She’s every geek’s wet dream. Check out her blog at http://thebigpainofbecominglittle.blogspot.com/
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- The man behind the curtain here at twistedbirdstudio.com. You should check out his antics at www.sylverstone.com
These few are by no means everyone, but just the ones who crosed my mind this morning.Thank you everyone for your inspiring dedication! Cheers!~Robyn
Keep up the awesome work. I can’t even tell you what an enormous help I find it that several of my friends are in the same situation, trying to get healthy. It’s very inspiring
Good for you, Robyn!
You’ve hit the nail on the head with dedication. I spend a lot of my time planning great things but so little of it comes to fruition because of work, Elijah, the weather, money, a headache, a sore ankle, etc, etc. There’s always something that can be done and always some sort of excuse as to why it doesn’t happen. Maybe mini goals are a better way of going about it.
We must not be wearing our tinfoil hats. I was getting ready to razz you if you didn’t start posting stuff again soon. You have so much willpower and dedication, I’d love to see it go towards your endeavors. As I know that you will succeed without question.
Thanks for the nod, I’m super flattered. Being a sole proprietor is not an easy task, if I make any of it look easy… then my PR skills are better than I thought. I am tickled pink to know that I am any sort of motivation. But I believe that you have the epic potential to be a a self-made woman, no question about it. Get on it! No excuses!
Love you!