Someday. . .

Do you ever find yourself saying, “Someday…?”  It surprises me that I still say that on occasion, even though I’m now retired. With unlimited time to pursue a wide variety of activities, I often find myself falling back on that refrain!  Getting stuff done was seemingly easier when my life was dictated by an intensely detailed schedule broken into ten minute units of time.

I suppose it’s human nature to procrastinate, but if something is truly important to us, we should take those steps necessary to make it happen.  A question asked during a presentation I heard many years ago, given by a speaker I’ve long since forgotten, made an impression on me: “Was there something I wanted to do last year that I didn’t get to do, and, if so, why didn’t I get to do it?”

The speaker paused, and gave us a moment to write down our thoughts.  I wrote “take family to DisneyWorld… too busy.”  Then he asked, “If you didn’t get to do what you wanted to do last year, have you scheduled it for this year.”  “Uh, no,” I thought.  And finally, “What will it take for you to do what you want to do next year?”  And that’s when it finally hit me… living life in balance requires a plan.

I’m reminded of a presentation given by the legendary motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar.  His theme was, “If not now, when?”  He spoke of how important it was for us to get “around to it” when faced with a task or challenge.  I have the souvenir he gave me to this day, a wooden “Round Tuit.”

With a great deal of planning and “encouragement” by Ziglar’s “Round Tuit” prominently displayed on my desk, our family ultimately enjoyed DisneyWorld’s 25th anniversary celebration in Orlando during the summer of 1997.  We rented a cabin at Fort Wilderness, and visited each park – The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney MGM Studios, Animal Kingdom, and the (now closed) Disney Institute.  “Someday” finally arrived for my loving family.

Yes, it’s difficult to accomplish everything we wish to do, but, as the year ends, if there’s a “someday” in the back of your mind, add it to your list of priorities for this new year and plan for it.  If you don’t, no one else will.