Last week, my goal was to make 5 Bodacious Patchwork Doggy Quilts. Mission accomplished. I put the sewing stuff away in the Bodacious Biscuit And Craft Room and replaced it with everything needed to work on wood stuff. The goal for this week and next is to make a bunch of DIY doggy toy boxes, leash and pup apparel holders, and doggy themed wall decor. All of this work is to prep for the Annual Spring Festival And Craft show on May 20th.
Lisa has been working hard cutting pieces and sanding them down. I've got a big pile of wood to work with. I'd like to make at least 2 Doggy Toy Boxes and 15 other wood pieces. That's a lot of work.
Creating a single DIY Doggy Toy Box can take most of an afternoon because I have to wait for each coat of paint to dry. I also have to figure in time for the freehand art and lettering to dry for the plaques. That's after 2, sometimes 3, coats of paint and before the 2 coats of gloss wood finish. It takes a little longer to make the leash and pup apparel holders and wall decor.
My time management skills will be put to the test. In order to get all of this done by the middle of next week, I'll have to function on 3 hours of sleep a day.
Go to bed at 5 a.m. and set the alarm for 8 a.m.
By the end of this week, I'm going to be exhausted. As next week approaches and rolls along, it'll only get worse.
But, that's okay.
I've had to remind myself of a few things throughout preparing for this event.
1. The road to success is always under construction. I can thank Lily Tomlin for that bit of wisdom. Those are wise words and ones I live by. I've repeated this quote over and over throughout the years, especially throughout the past few. I have sat at my desk and recited this quote out loud. Not a day goes by that I don't remind myself of this.
2. Life is always evolving. Change. Change. Change. What worked last week might not work this week because of this or that. Etching anything in granite is 'bout near impossible. I've let go of making schedules and that includes work, sleep and most everything between. Last week, I was able to vacuum the rugs every single day. This week, it's leaning towards every other day. That has to be okay. It is okay. As long as Lisa and our kids are taken care of, the rugs can go a day without being vacuumed. If there are a few dishes in the sink at the end of the day, so what.
3. I have what it takes. I've been working at home in my field for a decade now. I've conquered obstacles, sleep deprivation, hurdles, and road blocks. I know what it's like to work 20 hour days and exceed 100 hour work weeks. I know what I need to do in order to be successful.
4. I learn from others. There's a lot of people I know who are extremely successful and I've followed their success. I've watched them grow and prosper. It didn't happen overnight. They made a lot of sacrifices. They busted ass. They worked through extreme exhaustion and tears. They resisted distractions.
5. One day at a time. Yesterday is done and over with. I can't go back in time and change anything. I can't reflect back on how I spent my time and rewind to alter time frames. Tomorrow isn't here yet. I can sit down for 2 hours and plan out my day tomorrow, but 99% of the time, nothing goes as planned. And, tomorrow is never guaranteed. I could die in my sleep. Collapse from a heart attack. Or, planet Earth could explode. All I have is today. Go with the flow. Make the most out of a single 24 hours.
I know most of these come across as redundant idioms, but most of the time, for me, getting back to basics is what works. Constant reminders of what has worked for me over the years.
Sure, all of this extra work last week and for the next couple of weeks is in preparation for an event we're participating in, but it can't stop there.
And, it won't.
In order to grow, evolve, expand, and reach some goals, I need to continue on this path. If I don't, I'm going to find myself in this predicament again...something comes up and I'm not prepared.
I don't want to be in that situation again.
There's no reason why I have to be in that situation again.
If anything, preparing for this event has taught me that.
I've also learned that it doesn't matter how old you are.
I'm 43 years old.
The process of learning stuff will continue until the day I take my last breath.
I've got this.
I really do.
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