Are you a hamster, too?

There are not enough hours in a day. Do you ever feel that way? I swear I am in a hamster wheel spinning and spinning and never getting anywhere with anything.

Ugh!!!

Ok, that’s a bad attitude! How will things look up, if I only focus on the negative, right?  Focusing on the negative will never produce the happy results we are hoping for in life.

So, consider this… Let’s just step back and look at it in a different way.

You and I, we are alive. Like beating hearts and everything. We have this gift of today to decide what it will become. What a beautiful, clean slate. You can be or do anything you desire.  We have the ability to run on the wheel.  What a blessing!

And…What an AWESOME hamster wheel it is!!! Shiny silver with strong rungs. It’s right where I need it to be and its not rolling all over tarnation either. It’s grounded. It’s just my size, too. I can run whichever direction I want. I can run fast or slow. I can even hang from my paws if I really wanted to… Or could figure out how.

So, what’s so wrong with spending time in my hamster wheel? Think about it… we (in our own respective wheels) are perfecting our stride. So what if we fall off or make ourselves dizzy? We get back on and try again. So what if it seems like we aren’t getting everything done?  We try harder and exercise patience!  We are also teaching ourselves endurance, attitude and perspective and that we can do hard things.

And… Sometimes if we’re lucky, someone will be watching. You might not think that’s a lucky thing, but just ponder a bit on that… your kids are watching you. They see your technique, persistence, endurance and excitement. They want to try it, too. They want to learn your tricks and do them themselves. They NEED to learn how to spin in the hamster wheel and find joy and satisfaction amidst the mundane.

We lead by example. We teach by that which we do. So, who cares if you’re stuck in the hamster wheel. Look at it differently. I am thankful that I get the spin and spin and spin and learn and learn and learn and teach and teach and teach.

Ok, enough about the hamster wheel?

Well, maybe one more VERY important thing…

This example might make you feel like you now need to observe a hamster on a hamster wheel. Like go to the pet store and check them out.  I get it. I kind of want to now, too. But, let’s be rational… hamsters stink and we don’t need one more thing to take care of, so don’t go!! And you know as well as I do, that your kids are just going to help you take care of that thing for like 2 minutes and then… The analogy will be stupid and you’ll hate me, so… just google it!

And the next time you feel like you are spinning and spinning and not getting anywhere, stop for a minute and just be grateful.

The wheel brings passage of time.

Passage of time brings perspective.

Perspective brings understanding.

Understanding brings gratitude.

Gratitude brings joy.

And with joy, anything is possible!

If you’d like to take a spin with me and some other fellow hamster moms, join us at our From Chaos to Connection Retreat in Park City, Utah this September 22-24, 2016.  It’s a chance to put your life in perspective, find joy in the journey of life and connect with what matters most to a tired, overwhelmed mom.  We’ve got your back!  Click here to learn more.