The problem with someday
Whenever someone starts a sentence with, “Someday I’d love to …” my heart breaks a little.
The word “someday” is a sinister kiss of death that lands ever so lightly on the blushing cheek of a bright, young dream. It seems benign – a promise almost – but each time those lips brush against that hopeful vision, a little more poison seeps into the dream, causing it to wither and fade. The effect is subtle, but fatal. Suddenly, it is too late – someday has passed you by.
Someday sucks.
Most people’s lives are full of somedays. Someday we will try salsa dancing. Someday we will volunteer with the kids in the cancer unit at the children’s hospital. Someday we will get up the nerve to tell our boss what we really think. Someday we will start that new business. Someday we will take that trip to the jungles of the Amazon. Someday we will start practicing yoga. Someday we will learn how to eat healthy. Someday we will find our true love. Someday …
There’s nothing inherently wrong with somedays. We need dreams and aspirations, hopes and goals. They are what give our lives flavor and direction. Without them, we would simply be going through the motions, never growing or stretching or seeking out new experiences. The tragedy of someday strikes when we fail to take action or even have a plan. It’s just too easy to leave our dreams hanging in the limbo of an impotent and unqualified someday. Life is busy. We have a living to make, fires to put out, children to raise, errands to run. Our somedays slide further and further down the priority list until they are so buried under the daily grind that we almost forget what they look like until something triggers us – a museum exhibit about the jungle, an ad for a salsa dancing class – and then we utter those fateful words, “Someday I’d love to …”
STOP. RIGHT. THERE.
Save yourself from the heartbreak of a lost someday. Grab that someday and turn it into a today, or at least a “next Thursday” or “next month.” Make a plan. Take an action – even a small one. Call the dance studio. Look into what it would take to get you of your couch and into the jungle. Ask a friend to come with you to a yoga class. You will be surprised at how easy it is to transform your someday wishes into realities. You can create the life you dream of – you really can.
Someday is a slippery little devil. Don’t let it slide through your fingers day after day until all your days are gone.
What can you do today to get one step closer to turning your Someday into a Real Day?
Image Credit: Zervas