“Might paint something I might want to hang here someday, might write something I might want to say to you someday, might do something I’d be proud of someday. Mark my words, I might be something someday.” ~ Sara Quin
Someday I will…
This week’s Monday Mo was presented by Katie Harris (pictured left), Founding Partner of Spot On Solutions. Here she is pictured with her mom at the 2021 BNP Paribas Open in Palm Springs.
Have you ever heard yourself say some version of this? “Someday I will…” you fill in the blank.
I have a love/hate relationship with “someday”.
I love the idea of thinking forward and making plans for future adventures or ideas. I love “someday dreams” that allow me to think bigger and expand my vision of what a future could look like.
However, I hate using someday as an excuse to not do something right now. A someday that only serves as lip service is one of the greatest disservices we give to ourselves.
Many years ago my oldest son was selected to be a ball-boy at the BNP Paribas tennis tournament in Palm Springs. This is one of the world’s biggest tennis tournaments and we were excited. He was still in high school and it was a dream come true for him. He got to be on court with some of the world’s best professional tennis players; Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer. So for a week, my mom and I cheered for him as he chased down tennis balls and handed sweaty towels to some of his heroes. It was an amazing week, full of the best kinds of memories and we loved it.
My mom was approaching retirement and at one point she noticed the retired volunteers working at all the gates and casually said “someday” I could do that. It didn’t take long for that “could do it” to turn to an “I will do it” – and she did!
So, what is the difference between a “someday” that moves us to action and a “someday” that never happens?
Here are 3 tips to turn someday into today!
- Identify the first step you can take and do it. Often this might just be saying it out loud to someone or writing it down. Do something that puts a little action into the dream and adds some concrete weight to the idea.
- Start a plan. Research, talk to people, get some facts. What is a realistic timeline? Map out a rough journey to your someday goal. This journey will most likely need adjusted as you go, but at that point you’re already on your way.
- Revisit the plan. Whether it’s once a day, once a month or once a year revisit your plan. Make sure to keep the fire lit by reminding yourself what could be and why it’s important to you.
While this year my mom is taking a break from volunteering, she continues to watch the tournament every day. She’s already looking forward to returning to Palm Springs next year for her 5th year of volunteering! Our somedays really can be our todays…What’s on your “Someday I will” list?
“Whatever thrills you, anything you love to do, just say – Someday, I will.” ~Jimmy Buffet
