I am a firm believer in the proverb "A stitch in time saves nine." , that is: "A timely effort will prevent more work later." I did, however, not know anything about the origins of this proverb and went searching for answers on the Internet.

I found a good article at The Phrase Finder that had a nice story and some historical background for this proverb. Even though I knew the meaning of this proverb, I  - like many others - found myself asking: "saves nine what?" Well here's the answer given at The Phrase Finder:

"The 'stitch in time' is simply the sewing up of a small hole or tear in a piece of material, so saving the need for more stitching at a later date when the hole has become larger. Clearly, the first users of this expression were referring to saving nine stitches."

As is usual with many proverbs, it is meant as an incentive to the lazy. If you are interested in more background information for this proverb, you can read the entire article at The Phrase Finder. If I am completely honest, I have to admit that I although I am a firm believer in this proverb  I have in recent years become a bigger procrastinator.  Or perhaps I am just getting better at prioritizing? Or perhaps I'm just making excuses?

I just uploaded the above image as my Facebook cover/profile (24. January 2015). The "sparkle" text is based on this tutorial at textuts.com, a great site for Photoshop text tutorials. 

I often make images to try to inspire myself and hopefully others. Making the image above with the quote

"Don't ever let anyone dull your sparkle."

is my way of reminding myself that people don't always like you or what you stand for, but as long as you are striving to do a good job and/or become a better person you shouldn't let others dictate who you are. 

I am often told that I am a little too exuberant (Norwegians are much more reserved that Americans), but I prefer to see myself as being "enthusiastic".  If I can't get excited about what I am doing, then what's the use in doing it?

NOTE: I made the 3D-text in the above image based the this tutorial at textuts.com, one of my favorite Photoshop tutorial sites. 

There are millions of quotes about positive thinking that I find very motivating and inspirational. I really like Oprah Winfrey's quote: 

"The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude."

So as we start the new year, let us all try to think positive and don't forget: YOU ROCK!