Make Your Someday, Today!
Hello!
I haven’t written a blog since August, and I apologize to you, my regular readers, for the long delay.
I’ve had to cancel a few blogs over the years, and a few months ago, I changed my weekly blog schedule to a biweekly one because of the needs of our senior dog, Peggy. I tried to maintain a biweekly schedule, but it was causing me too much stress, and I finally understood the irony of being stressed out while writing my wellness blog. Now, my blog has no schedule, and I hope to return to a regular biweekly schedule and maybe even weekly, but. for now, the lack of a schedule for this blog feels right and very freeing.
The last few months have been far too busy and a roller coaster of Peggy’s and my health issues. The overwhelm was no one’s fault; it was just a perfect storm of too many demands and an overloaded schedule, which made self-care impossible. Once my self-care routines slip, my sleep becomes disturbed, and I become very anxious and feel unwell overall.
It hasn’t been a great time, but I firmly believe that with chaos comes clarity. When you take a moment to look honestly at what is happening in your life, things will become apparent. With clarity comes possibility and acknowledging the importance of getting back on track when one gets derailed.
I started working on this blog in August, and when things became more manageable in the last few weeks, I felt this topic was exactly what I needed to focus on: what’s essential in my life, and I want to encourage you to do the same.
If you're middle-aged like me, you have more days behind you than ahead. I hope to live to 100, but I may only be around for another 20 years. That’s 20 more birthdays, 20 more Christmases, and 20 more wedding anniversaries—not much time at all.
Even before the chaos started in August, I'd been asking myself how I wanted to live with what was left of my days on this beautiful and complicated planet. This question is an excellent way to shake things up, especially if you are feeling overwhelmed or underwhelmed and just going through everyday life but not living the life you want.
We often put off our dreams and goals, thinking we’ll get to them “someday.” What does “someday” actually mean? Someday is not a day of the week. It never actually comes. Someday is a bookmark, a placeholder for your important aspirations waiting to be realized.
Someday …..
· Let’s you off the hook from doing anything.
· Stalls time and keeps you in limbo, where you will be stuck waiting for perfect conditions.
The perfect moment is a myth that never comes because life is constantly changing. Waiting for the ideal moment and getting stuck in the someday loop ensures nothing will happen.
Sound familiar?
I’ll run the marathon I've dreamed about when I get proper footwear.
My life will rock when I lose 20 lbs.
Life will be good when I have more money.
When I'm not so busy, I'll write the book that has been in my head for 20 years.
I'll finally feel good about myself when I find a partner.
I've always wanted to paint, but I worry about what people will think if I do.
When nursing home residents were asked what their greatest regret in life was, they all said they wished they had taken more chances. They felt they had held themselves back all their lives due to circumstance, fear, or duty and saw only a fraction of their potential self. Source
Don't let this happen to you. It is never too late unless you are on your deathbed. You don’t want to be at the end of your life full of regrets because you gave away your power to SOMEDAY.
What are you waiting for?
If you can admit that the perfect time doesn’t exist and will never happen, you’ve knocked down a significant barrier, creating space to take a leap and courageously move forward.
What do you want?
Need help figuring out where to start? How about asking yourself what you want? What do you really want? If you cannot answer this question, then take time to figure this out. We usually focus on what we don’t want and get stuck there. That might be an excellent place to start-focus on what you don’t want to help you figure out what you want. For example, “I don’t want to be sick, poor, and restricted.” Flip this to “I desire to be healthy, abundant, and free.”
I like to quiet my mind when I’m confused about what I want and don’t know where to start. Going for a silent nature walk always grounds me and helps me determine my priorities. Try this: journal or discuss things with a friend to clarify your desires. It’s critical that you ask yourself this question when you feel calm and peaceful.
If things aren’t working for you, you must find enough hope and guts to make changes, even if things feel hopeless. You can rejig your priorities. What is working? What needs to be adjusted? Take stock of your self-care.
Some Tips
Define your goals. Keep it simple by starting with just 1 or 2 goals.
Identify what matters the most to you.
Prioritize. What is most important now?
Break down your goals by creating actionable steps and setting realistic deadlines.
Eliminate distractions. How much time do you waste scrolling on your phone?
Take the first step and start. Even 5 minutes a day is better than 0 minutes.
Find an accountability partner so you can share goals and encourage and motivate each other.
There is power in the present moment, and Carpe Diem (seize the day) is a great mantra. Every big achievement is the sum of small efforts.
Let’s say you’ve always wanted to write a book and have dreamt about it for years but have never done much about it. Where do you start? Do something. Create a Word document and name it “My Book,” and write every day for 20-30 minutes of uninterrupted time. Don’t worry about grammar; you can edit later. If you can write one page daily, you will have completed 30 pages in the next month, or ½ a page daily, you will have written 15 pages. You can’t be a writer if you don’t write. The act of writing consistently will fire up your creative juices. Then, you may want to join a writing group to stay motivated.
Reaching your goals and dreams requires action.
Need some inspiration? Check out the accomplishments of these late bloomers.
1. Toni Morrison, celebrated for her profound exploration of the Black experience in novels like "The Bluest Eye," "Sula," "Song of Solomon," and "Beloved," didn't achieve widespread recognition until 1993. At the age of 62, she made history as the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.
2. Laura Ingalls Wilder – Began writing “Little House on the Prairie” at age 65; it later became a beloved television series.
3. Estelle Getty – After years as a relatively unsuccessful actress, she achieved widespread fame at the age of 63 as Sophia in “The Golden Girls” television series.
4. Grandma Moses – The American folk artist whose work was featured at the MoMA in New York and who graced the cover of Time in 1953, didn’t even begin painting until she was 78.
5. Yuichiro Miura – In 2014, he became the oldest person to reach the top of Mount Everest at age 80 and has said he would like to try again at age 90.
6. Rosemary Smith – A rally race champion in the 1960s, she became the oldest person to drive a Formula 1 car in 2017 when she was 79.
7. Doris Self – Recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records as the “oldest video game champion” at the age of 58 by scoring 1,112,300 points in the arcade game Q*bert.
8. Smoky Dawson – Known as Australia’s first cowboy and a pioneer of Western music, he became the oldest person to compose, record, and release a new album at 92 years old.
9. Mohr Keet – This WWII veteran became the world’s oldest bungee jumper in 2010 at the age of 96 (he didn’t begin jumping until the age of 88).
10. Harriette Thompson – A cancer survivor who ran her first marathon at the age of 76, and at 91 years old, completed her 15th marathon, becoming the second-oldest marathon runner in U.S history. Source
Since August, I found myself slipping into some old patterns of overwhelm, and I had to make some tough decisions to make space for the life I wanted. I changed my yoga teaching schedule, so I’m now teaching less, and this small change has significantly impacted my schedule. My part-time job turned into full-time hours from August to October because many people were away. I recently established that I only wanted to work part-time and on certain days. I had to set some essential boundaries and now have a manageable schedule. The difference in how I feel is remarkable.
I now have time to focus on what’s essential: self-care, caring for Peggy, being with Ben, my friends, and family, and connecting to nature and community. For now, I’m content to stay focused on some basics and can let go of some of my bigger goals and desires. Taking care of Peggy is a priority, and we are therefore limited in our travel plans; even going to Toronto is challenging now. I’m OK with this because I know this will not be forever, as Peggy is in the last chapter of her life, and seeing her decline is hard, but nothing is better than spending time with her. I will work on some of my bigger goals and our travel plans later.
Stop thinking about and dreaming about your passions. Put something into action. Do something that moves you towards your goal, no matter how small.
Swap procrastination with action and uncertainty with clarity. Get serious and make a declaration to the universe. Be bold and audacious, and most importantly, don’t give a rat’s ass what anyone else thinks.
Transforming “someday” into “today” is about taking actionable steps toward your dreams. You can start making progress by defining your goals, breaking them down, eliminating distractions, and committing to action. Remember, every small step counts! So, what will you do today?
You have this one life; how do you want to spend it?
Let me know in the comments below how you have found ways to focus on what matters.
Be well.
Anita
DISCLAIMER; The information provided on County Yoga Loft’s website blog is for general health care informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith. However, it should not replace consultation or advice from a physician and other healthcare practitioners. The use or reliance of any information contained on this site is solely at your own risk.