Something to Chase

You know an acceptance speech is good when it sticks with you. It's two weeks post-Oscars and I can't stop thinking about Mr. McConaughey and the velvety words that came from his mouth on that glorious award night.

He began with:

There's a few things, about three things to my account that I need each day. One of them is something to look up to, another is something to look forward to, and another is someone to chase.

Fast forward to his explanation of his 'someone to chase':

Now when I was 15 years old, I had a very important person in my life come to me and say "who's your hero?" And I said, "I don't know, I gotta think about that. Give me a couple of weeks." I come back two weeks later, this person comes up and says "who's your hero?" I said, "I thought about it. You know who it is? It's me in 10 years." So I turned 25. Ten years later, that same person comes to me and says, "So, are you a hero?" And I was like, "not even close. No, no, no." She said, "Why?" I said, "Because my hero's me at 35." So you see every day, every week, every month and every year of my life, my hero's always 10 years away. I'm never gonna be my hero. I'm not gonna attain that. I know I'm not, and that's just fine with me because that keeps me with somebody to keep on chasing.

For many Americans, there is nothing that we love more than the chase. But to chase our future-self is unheard of! I often think about the Shannon of next year, sometimes even the Shannon of a few years down the road. But the Shannon of 2024... I haven't thought of her, ever. That is, until Oscars 2014.

To dream up my future self is exhausting. My sweet baby boy is 11. ELEVEN. I will had been at the same company for 20 years. Wait, nooo. This is my dream, right?

I'll have 3 kids, one who is not of my womb, but is loved exactly equally as the two who I birthed. We have a beautiful house with lots of land for the kids to run wildly, freely. I will have started my own business, designing invitations, announcements, prints... primarily focused around sweet chubby babies and celebrating the beauty of creation - fresh, baby-powder scented human life.

I'll have my own platform for distributing these little masterpieces. Etsy account? No, not courageous enough. Think... Tiny Prints, my very own Tiny Prints. An entire website devoted to matching card-stock art with the most precious occasions.

There it is, my something to chase. And oh how I want it. Matthew McConaughey is definitely onto something. When thoughts of the potential future, the very possible and obtainable future, can motivate and push us to achieve our dreams, then why don't we think more? Why don't we chase more? Let's put on those running shoes and get to chasing!

What's your something to chase? Sound off in the comments below.

Watch the full acceptance speech here.