One of the main keys to success in life is to get rid of our silly belief in someday. You know, the sentence that starts with someday Ill........... get in better shape spend more time with my family lose weight take the kids to Disney get more organized start my own business (fill in the blank). Just make sure you fill in the blank with something you never want to see happen, because here comes the bad news - someday never comes. A really nice way to get your head around the notion that someday never comes is to grab a calendar and take a look at the days of the week. Lets see, my calendar has: Monday - For those of us you love what we do, a pretty cool day. For the Garfields out there, not such a great day. Tuesday - "Sic transit gloria mundi-- Tuesday is usually worse." - Starman Jones Wednesday - Hump day and all that. Thursday - Good TV night. Friday - TGIF. Saturday - Sleep late. Sunday - Used to be a day of rest. Rinse and repeat. If you review the above list, youll notice that you just cant find Someday anywhere. So not only does someday never come, it doesnt even exist! So what do we do? After getting rid of the notion of someday, heres a 4-step plan to turn your somedays into something real. 1. Set a goal Pick something that up until now you have said you will do someday. This answers the question What do I want? Lets say you want to get into better shape by exercising for 30 minutes or more a day, five times a week. After choosing your goal, next you...... 2. Turn your someday into one day A goal is just a wish (a someday) with a deadline. To turn your someday into one day, you want to set a target date. This answers the question When do I want it? In our example, you can say that 90 days from now, you will be exercising 30 minutes or more a day, five times a week. At this point its helpful to do two things: write your goal down and keep it somewhere that you can be reminded of it each day share your goal with someone else who will hold you accountable. 3. Commit to small daily actions Most large goals are accomplished through small daily actions repeated over time. This answers the question When am I going to do this? Many people give up on their goals because they seem too large or will take too long. Heres where you narrow your focus - for our example, its saying Just for today I will exercise for at least 30 minutes. For just right now, for today only, it doest matter what you did yesterday, and it doesnt matter what you will do tomorrow. Today I will! 4. Take at least one immediate action This is such a powerful yet little used trick. Whenever you decide to set a goal, before you leave the scene of that decision take at least one concrete action toward your goal. This answers the question When will I get started? with RIGHT NOW! This gets you started right away, allows you to experience some immediate success and builds momentum. In our example, you could begin exercising immediately, or call and schedule an appointment with your doctor, a fitness coach, or to check out the local health club. Following these four steps allows you to do something that surprisingly few people ever get to do: turn your someday into one day and soon one day will be today! Thanks for reading, and keep the change! |
