One of my favorite poems is Invictus. Reading it always reminds me that I am in charge of my life. This ain’t no dress rehearsal. I once gave a necklace with the same Invictus quote to a young friend who was really at a crossroads. I always hoped it helped her realize that she needed to pick the right path.

I love this Master of My Fate Paperweight from Uncommon Goods for two reasons.  1) love the poem, and 2) it has an anchor on it. I learned years ago in Weight Watchers about anchoring. It doesn’t necessarily have to be an anchor, but the idea is to have something to create cues and triggers to remind you of your goals and the resources for achieving it. It doesn’t have to be strictly for weight watchers. For me, it’s an evil eye bracelet. Keeping evil away, so to speak. But, what better way to remind you of a goal than looking at a paperweight of an anchor on your desk? PLUS, it’s a great gift idea for either a man or woman, girl or boy.

And, just in case you don’t know the poem Invictus, or the story behind it, keep reading.

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

William Ernest Henley
Henley wrote this poem while in the hospital for three years trying to save his leg, after the other had been amputated. If that doesn’t give you motivation, people, I don’t know what will!