Disclaimer: This post was based on the movie, but read the books. Seriously. Also note that spoilers follow, so if you haven’t yet read or watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and you plan to, you might want to skip over this.

Lesson #3: If you want something, stop sitting around and daydreaming about it. Get up off your butt and go get it!

The theme of going after what one wants is all through the Harry Potter series, and not always in such a good way (Voldemort, anyone?), but I think its clearest example in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (the movie version) is Hermione Granger’s relationship (or, lack thereof) with Ron Weasley.

Even though we never actually saw inside Hermione’s and Ron’s heads, anyone who’s read the Harry Potter series (or paid extremely close attention to the first five movies) saw this relationship coming from miles away.

(My apologies to the Harry/Hermione and Draco/Hermione shippers.)

Yet, neither character would actually make a move to make it happen and, in the end – probably because Ron had “the emotional range of a teaspoon” – it took his relationship with Lavender Brown to kick Hermione’s butt into action.

Emma Watson was, you guessed it – brilliant! – in her scene with Radcliffe after she sees Ron and Lavender snogging. I don’t think she could’ve done a better job conveying just how heartbroken and miserable Hermione felt seeing someone else get what she wanted

Things eventually worked out for Hermione and Ron, but that’s not always how things work out in life. Sometimes, we wait around so long, feeling insecure and lacking confidence, that the thing we want slips completely beyond our grasp and we end up feeling like Hermione did in that fantastic scene with Harry.

Why feel that way? Why sit around and twiddle your thumbs and risk something like that happening? If you want something, why not go out and get it? Sure, it might take some time and hard work, but really, the alternative – which includes knowing you never even tried – is much worse.

So, how do you get started?

Step One: Determine exactly what it is you want.

A promotion? A new career? To write a best-selling novel? Continue your education? Finally tell someone how you feel about him or her?

Figure out exactly what it is you want. You can’t start working toward your goal if you’re not exactly sure of what your goal is.

Step Two: Figure out what you need to do to get it.

Once you know what you want, think about what you need to get it. Maybe you need financial aid, or some time to write, or courage. Maybe you need to start looking for better job openings or to show your boss you’re worthy of more responsibility.

Sit down with an open Word document (or, be like me and drag out the old-fashioned pen and notepad) and jot down a few things you know you need to have in order to get whatever it is you want.

Step Three: Make a plan.

Knowing what it is you need to do to get what you want isn’t the same as actually making a plan of action. In other words, saying “I need financial aid to go back to school” isn’t going to get you financial aid or back in the classroom.

Once you know what you want, and the tools you need to help you get it, make a plan for acquiring those tools. For example, if your goal is to write a best-selling novel and you know you need time to write, draw up a new daily schedule for yourself that allots time for all your daily “chores” and the time to write.

Step Four: Put that plan into action.

This one’s pretty self-explanatory. Once you’ve made a plan, put that plan into action. They say the first step is the hardest, and in some cases it might be, but take it anyway.

If, in your case, the first step (or two or three) is the easiest and you start losing momentum halfway through, take some time to pause and remind yourself of what it is you want and how badly you want it. (TIP: You might even want to make yourself accountable to family members or friends and ask them to help keep you on track or employ them as your own personal cheerleading squad.)

Step Five: Do NOT give up.

Whatever you do, don’t give up. You’ll probably face some setbacks, and you might even need to stop and re-evaluate your goal or your plan of action, but do not give up.

Did you know 12 of the dumbest publishers ever rejected J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone before Bloomsbury finally picked it up and for a mere 1,500 pound advance?

At the same time, your intended outcome might not happen (for example, you might tell the person how you feel only to find out he or she doesn’t feel the same way, or you might land that new dream job only to realize it’s not exactly so dreamy after all), but when it’s all said and done, being able to say you gave it your all is much better than admitting you just sat around, did nothing, and never found out if it would have worked out or not.

We’ll continue the life lessons from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince series Monday; in the meantime, I want to hear about your own experiences of going after what you wanted. What worked for you, and what didn’t? How did you feel when you reached your goal, or realized it just wasn’t meant to be?

And, if you’re just tuning in, be sure to check out the first two lessons about laughter and relationships.

Image Source: Wikipedia

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    Last reviewed: 13 Jul 2011