I find it hard sometimes (okay, lots of times) to focus and to take action. It’s daunting when you realize that your own success truly lies in your own hands, that you don’t have any co-workers/bosses/corporate/bureaucracy to blame your failures on. Because let’s face it – it’s so easy to blame someone who’s not yourself. And when at some points success lies stagnant, it just makes the process of shooting for that tiny bullseye of success so much harder to aim for.

It’s really the small stuff, the daily reminders, that keep me going. It’s the randomly doled compliments that I get on my writing and photography, even if I have a moment of denial because it’s usually a compliment from friends. It’s the occasional writing job I stumble upon, most often unpaid but then sometimes for a loot, for blogs and magazines around this big big big world. It’s the people that I meet, and connect with, that are making it all worthwhile. It’s the women who I encounter who I can’t help but be in complete. utter. awe. at their drive, dedication, and self-made accomplishments, and inspire me to do the same. It’s the blogs that I read that keep me updating my own blog, even though I think my life is a snooze right now. It’s the artwork and the design ideas that I get from local artists and unknown design firms that make me smile, like the image at the top of this post.

This simple little piece of artwork is currently my desktop image.  I used to have a picture of oysters from Maine, but I’ve been needing an extra push of confidence these days so I’ve changed it up a bit. This little diddy was said by Picasso, I think, but frankly I’m sure anyone who’s ‘made it’ in this world has given this sage piece of advice.

Check out the blog The Fox is Black for more great desktop wallpapers. The Diploman has this fun image on his iPhone.