Project: Coffee Cup holder and sign

Made this  sign / coffee cup holder for my office at work a year a ago.  

And now that I don't have an office, it is sitting in my craft room against the wall.  

It is old barn wood with 5 hooks, painted and distressed.

Crafting is part of what keeps me balanced

One of my exes once told me, "I love you, but I'm not going to say it again. Just know this to be true until I tell you otherwise".

It seemed unnecessarily cold and rigid at first, but it got me thinking about WHY I wanted/needed to hear those words anyway... And to be really honest, it was because of my own insecurities at the time. Let's face it: relying on someone else to feel loved (respected) wouldn't have cured my self doubt; it would have actually created a dependency... and masked my compounding issues instead of ever working through them.

The beauty is when we feel complete, confident, and secure with ourselves, and then our happiness and stability doesn't depend on others (nor their words or actions). And here's the most important thing: when somebody loves (respects) you, they don't have to say it. You can tell by the way they treat you.

Yes, it's nice to hear those words every once in a while, but if our self-worth depends on others, then we give them the power to take it away, too.

Project: Motivational Sign for my office

I have been slowly redecorating my office, and want to include wooden signs with fun and/or motivational sayings.   This is another PVPP project.     (I am also thinking I need this rug in my office.)

Stages of Learning

Beginner: 

Take baby steps: don't focus on those whose skills are far beyond your own.
When you are new at something, or haven't tried it in a while, it can feel impossibly hard to get it right.
Every misstep, feels like a reason to quit.
You envy everyone, who seems to know what they are doing.
What keeps you going?
The belief that one day, you will also be like that: confident, elegant, capable, experienced.
And you can be.
All you need now, is enthusiasm.
A little bravery.
And, always, a sense of humor

Getting Easier:

It is all about getting the hang of things.
Easy does it, take it easy.
You will figure out something in time.
But for right now, just keep trying.
Pay attention and avoid temptation to go farther then you are ready.
Talk less.
Observe and listen more.

Still Learning:

You are getting better, smarter, quicker and faster.
And yet you know just enough, to realize how much you still have to learn.
Now is when you are ready to take chances.
To figure our just how far you want to go.

Experienced:

You know enough now that you don't need to follow someone else's patttern.
Or to keep repeating your own.
You can break the pattern.
Or improve it.
Perfect it.
Change the plan.
Adapt and improvise.
Make what works best, work for you.
Now your skills and knowledge base, will take you where ever you want to go.