The Perils of Someday, One Day or Next Year

Today I want to talk about the perils of someday. When I announced my trip to New York, I noticed a few similar responses from people.

They went something like this.

‘I’ve always wanted to go to New York. One day I’ll get there.’

‘I’ll go someday.’

‘Maybe next year.’

The common theme in most of these statements is the words and implication of one day or someday.

Disclosure – This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. Any compensation I receive does not affect the price you pay.

In this post, I want to dive into the realities and perils of someday, one day, and next year. Let’s get started.

Some day never comes

As many of us know only too well, someday or one day often never come.

Both of these words belong to a place in time, far off in the distance that we often can’t visualize or comprehend. Someday and one day are simply too vague to motivate us into taking immediate action. Without a date or at least a vague plan attached to it, it doesn’t happen.

It can be easy to fall into the someday trap. I’m guilty of it myself.

Which leads me to wonder, why do we leave something we desperately want up to a time frame so incredibly vague?

Related post – Do You Have a Fun Plan for the Year?

We don’t know what we really want

Sometimes it can be a case of what we say we want and what we actually want are two different things. You might tell everyone you want to do something; you may even say you are definitely going to do it, but secretly you know it won’t be happening.

You will have a lot more motivation to follow through on your goals if you know exactly what they are. It can help to know why you want to achieve something as well.

When you hear yourself using the words someday or one day, think about how much you want this particular event or action.

How strongly you want to go to New York, start your university degree, or start your small business will have a big impact on whether or not you take the action steps to make it happen.

We don’t create a plan to make it happen

Making an event happen takes actual work and planning. It’s one thing to work out what you want, but unless you have some sort of plan to make it happen, it could still end up in the someday, one day (never going to happen) pile.

Don’t get me wrong, I know we have to wait for things. We plan and work our way towards our goal. Our plan might even be a couple of years away. That’s all good as long as we are working towards what we want during that time.

If you have enrolled in a course for next year or started a savings account with automatic deductions for your holiday next year, then you are on the right track. No matter how far in the distance your big dream or event is, if you start working on an actionable plan, you are heading in the right direction.

Ready to embrace your goals and action plan? Nadalie Bardo has a fantastic goal planner that can help you reach your goals.

We think we won’t have to make any sacrifices

Whether we like to admit it or not, getting what we want often involves making sacrifices.

Unfortunately, we can’t have everything all the time (despite how advertising and the media like to sell the ‘you can have it all’ on credit lifestyle). Usually, we need to sacrifice something, even if it’s on a short-term basis.

We all have our limitations and constraints. Whether that be time, money, or energy. The sooner we come to terms with the sacrifices we need to make, the more likely we are to make an actual plan.

Related post – What Sacrifices Are You Willing to Make to Achieve Your Goals?

We learn not to trust ourselves

Have you ever heard someone constantly say they were going to do something and know instinctively that it was never going to happen? Deep down you know that person is lying to themselves.

This is a situation you don’t want to find yourself in.

We like to think our word means something, that our promises, commitments, and words have substance.

When we make promises to ourselves, and then we break those promises, we let ourselves down. We learn not to trust ourselves. We gain confidence by delivering on our promises, including the promises we make to ourselves.

Related post – How to Be Congruent and Why It’s Important

Life has other plans

No matter how much we dream, plan, or commit, sometimes life decides it has other plans.

Unfortunately, life throws challenges at us that derail our goals.

If we suddenly get sick, our health takes priority over anything else we may have planned. Suddenly, everything goes back to a someday or one day proposition again!

These big challenges can be incredibly hard to deal with. There is no way to sugarcoat this. We just have to find our strength, reach out to people for support, and do our best.

Related post – When Life Gets Hard – 24 Things to Remember During Hard Times

Focus on right now

Your life is happening right now. Do your best to seize each moment. Choose to make the most of today as well as plan for tomorrow.

If you go into every plan with the idea of it happening someday, nothing will ever actually happen.

Perils of someday

Start paying more attention to when you use the word someday. Ask yourself, how badly do I want this?

When you know exactly what you want, put steps in place to turn it into a reality.

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friend on social media.

Read Next – 10 Important Ways to Make Yourself a Priority in Your Life