Chase Your Hamster!

My youngest daughter is relentless. She recently turned eight years old and after having her request for a pet hamster repeatedly declined by her dad and me, she took to her iPad, videoing pitiful pleas for a guinea pig or hamster for a birthday present. She sent the videos to my sisters and a good friend (notorious suckers) without me knowing. In no time I was receiving text messages from them asking if they could get her a hamster! To make a long story short, my family would not take "no" for an answer. They said that she was simply too convincing in her videos and they HAD to get her this special gift. After some consideration, her dad and I decided to allow it. I promise we are not typically pushover parents! We draw a hard line and expect our girls to follow what we say….99% of the time. I am not trying to condoning her tricky behavior in this situation, but there was something that struck me about her sincere desire for a pet hamster... I just couldn't deny her the wish. Truthfully, I saw a little bit of myself in her and I couldn't help but be a little bit proud of her determination.

Aspen wanted hamster- period. She had wanted one for a couple months and really set her mind to the fact that she was going to have one. There was no telling her "no". It was a dream and a wish she had created for herself and she was determined to see it through. She was relentless in her pursuit of her pet hamster! I could relate... There have been many times in my life that I have wanted something and set out to achieve it. I refused to acknowledge any reasons why it might not happen. I was relentless in my pursuit of dreams and goals and because I was never good at taking "no" for an answer or even telling myself no, I typically get what I set out to achieve. I have obtained many "hamsters" in my life, and I am proud of that. And YES, it's okay to be proud of yourself!

When you have a dream or desire in your heart, the only way to achieve it is to muster up a relentless, take-no-prisoners attitude and put all of your energy and focus into making your dream a reality. You have to chase your "hamster", but sometimes we need a little push (or a huge shove) to get after it. Well, here's your push!! It's time to find your "hamster" and chase that booger down!

I will share with you a few things that I do when I am in pursuit of a new goal or dream, but keep in mind there are many strategies you can use that successful (and happy) people employ in their day-to-day lives. These are just some simple ideas to get the ball rolling.

First, I suggest creating a vision board. There are countless ideas for making these out there and you can pick one that works for you. I suggest making it so that it is meaningful and representative of your style, there really is no right or wrong way to make one. It simply is a place where you can display items and have the flexibility to change them as you wish. You won't want to glue things down to it because you can’t change them as your dreams and goals evolve. Mine is decorated in the same colors as my bedroom and is magnetic. The magnets allow me to switch pictures when I come up with a new goal or dream or when I need to take something down that I have achieved (I never throw them away!). I have it hung next to my bed so that I am able to see it every day- a constant reminder of what I want from life.

There are a couple guidelines that I would suggest following: One is to never post something that you don't want on the board. For example, if you don't want to over eat, do not post a picture of yourself with a pig snout drawn on your face to shame yourself away from food. Instead, post a picture of yourself looking healthy after making good choices with food, a picture of someone you hope to look like, or simply post the words “healthy eater”. Always keep your board positive, bringing to life what you do want, not what you don't want. The other tip is to take time and size out of the equation. No dream is too big and time is irrelevant. You don’t need to know how long something will take to achieve (I respect that this can be a difficult concept). Earl Nightingale said, “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway. ” Your job is simply to dream – without limits.

I am as clear as I can possibly be about what it is I want to obtain or achieve. If it is a physical item, like a new camera, purse, house or vehicle, print a picture of it and put it on your vision board. If there are phrases or scriptures with messages that you want to encourage in your life, put those on your board. Be clear and don’t restrict yourself! Although you can use your board to get material items, don't limit it to that alone. I have the word “HAPPINESS” at the top of my board. That is something I will never take down even though I am happy.

Once you have your goals and dreams visually displayed for you to see daily, it is time to take some steps in the direction of achieving them. Each item on your board might require different steps in order to achieve it. You need to put some action behind your desires! If you want leaner body, it's time to start living like that is what you want! If you want to change careers, it is time to look into what will be required to do that and start taking steps in that direction. If you want a new purse, start seeing yourself with it and saving some money. Some people believe that wanting something is enough action, but I prefer a more proactive approach. Putting action behind your dreams makes them more tangible and will create opportunities in your life to bring them to you sooner than you could hope.  

Here are a couple more tips for making your dreams come true and having a happy life:

• I believe that greater things will happen to you if you are not selfish in all of your dreams. Look for opportunities to help others chase their hamsters, too!
• Be THANKFUL for what you already have. I thank God for what I have and who I am daily. I pray to be the best me I can be and to be able to help other people however I can.
• Look for opportunities to do “good” in the world. Practice excellence and be an example to others (especially if you are a parent).
• Stay organized and clean. If you do not take good care of what you already have, you won’t be given more.

My daughter is truly enjoying her pet hamster who has been named “Buttercup”. There is nothing quite like the feeling of getting something you really want after your relentlessness pays off! Now it is your turn - Chase your hamster and LOVE YOUR LIFE!