Do you have a little pile of ”some day” dreams under your pillow? Some day I’ll travel to… Some day I’ll write about. Some day I’ll handle my fear of. Some day I’ll change careers or start my own business – and so on and so on.
I have had quite a pile under my pillow for many years. Some day I’ll write a book; some day I’ll go to South America; some day I’ll go in the City to Surf fun run; some day I’ll get really fit.
What Changed?
What changed my some days into firm goals was contemplating the approach of the new millennium which just happened to coincide with one of those milestone in-your-face birthdays. The sort of birthday that had me pondering on the passing of the years and asking myself where had I been and where did I still want to go. The future, and the year 2000 that had stretched so far into the distance when I was younger, was suddenly here and finite. I realised that if I didn’t do something soon about those some day dreams, they could easily turn into regrets for what might have been.
So the year 2000 has seen me turning some of my most special some day dreams into goals with deadlines. I’ve written my book, READY, STEADY, GOAL! (as I write this it is at the printers) and I already have orders to fill. I completed the Sydney City to Surf (walking, not running – I never dreamt I would run!). And by the time you read this I will have left for a world business/pleasure trip that will culminate with three weeks in South America – up the Amazon, trekking the Inca Trail, Machu Puchu – the full dream come true. To do this I have had to get fitter than I have been in years and do some serious therapy work around a phobic fear of heights and falling.
Let Go and Take Action
I decided it was about time to let go of some goals that were so stale they almost smelt and that I was simply not prepared to put the hard yard in to achieve. Goals that were ”oughts” and ”shoulds” and were not necessarily in line with my core values.
So my question to you is – What some day dreams do you have? Is it time to turn them into strong time-framed goals? I invite you to imagine you are 20 years older and visualise looking back on your life. What do you want to remember about your life? How do you want to be remembered? Do you want there to be regret for the muddle of dreams you kept putting off and projects you never got around to, or the elation and satisfaction of challenge, experience and final achievement? The choice is yours.
As the late explorer Paddy Pallin said: “The only trips I ever regret are the ones I didn’t do.”
