Stick-to-it-ness for Life

When I was working on my undergraduate degree, I had this job on campus at the audio-visual services office.  The woman in charge was pure hell on wheels, with a kind of Pat-androgeny about her that made her all the more intimidating.  I had never had any other job before this one, unless you count the baby-sitting and camp counselor roles, so I was pretty naive in a lot of ways.  But this woman - we'll call her SB (short for Scary Boss) - took a liking to me for some reason that I still don't understand to this day.  This was a very good thing, because I saw many of my fellow employees, who were totally cowed by her biting sarcasm and quick wit, come and go with such speed that it's a wonder we managed to keep the place running.

So what, you're probably saying about now, but I promise you there is relevance to this tale.  You see, SB felt one of the biggest issues we faced as a nation was my generation's lack of stick-to-it-ness.  I think maybe that's why she treated me with a modicum of respect that I didn't see her bestow upon many of my peers.  Without even realizing that my stubbornness could be an asset, I refused to quit that job, no matter how hard I had to work, or how many times I failed when doing a basic AV setup.  This wasn't merely tenacity on my part - it was sheer fear.  In all my naivete about the world, I still understood that sometimes the devil you know is better than the one you don't.

My point?  Even though I was acting out of fear, I still refused to give up and kept plugging right along, no matter how terrible I saw SB act when she decided that others (lesser, stupid-acting, mere mortals) were no longer worthy of any sort of consideration.  Recently I was reminded by a dear friend that even when I feel like I'm failing in so many ways, I still have one thing going for me:  stick-to-it-ness.  I could call it stubbornness or tenacity, and it will probably continue to get me into trouble occasionally, but regardless, it's that drive to keep going and not give up (give in??) that has helped me get where I am today, and that's not such a bad place.

Now, if I could just apply it to my graduate studies and my etsy shop . . . equally.  Somehow, it seems like one or the other is getting all the attention while the other is being neglected.  But I'm too stubborn to  lessen my commitment to either!

Collection of vintage cobalt vases, soon to be uploaded to my etsy shop, www.beezuscomplex.etsy.com.