8 Action Items to Turn Those “Someday” Dreams into Today’s Goals

It’s September, and planner companies are launching their 2021 calendar-year planners. Some of these planners have various features that are geared toward getting you organized and ready to “crush those goals.”

If you didn’t know any better, you might think that the only time to make progress on your goals is in the new year. And, by that logic, if you haven’t gotten started yet, the last few months of this year are pretty much a loss.

Here’s the thing. The year isn’t over yet! We still have time to think about what we can accomplish in 2020, even in the midst of a pandemic that has forced us to put some things on hold.

And, even if there were 3 days left to the year, instead of 3 months, we would still have time to get started on the things that matter to us– those things we dream about for our futures. Waiting for January 1^st is not necessary when using the new year as a goal post is just an arbitrary way to motivate ourselves to get started on our goals.

In short, we don’t have put off our dreams and goals until someday. We can get started today!

I’ll say at the outset that there are completely legitimate reasons why a person may have to set aside a goal or dream. Some setbacks and seasons in our lives will necessarily mean that our goals may have to sit on the backburner for a while.

These can include dealing with a personal illness, the death of a loved one, having to care for a sick child or family member, or anything where the immediate needs of those involved override all else. This article is not meant for people in these sorts of situations.

But, if you find yourself thinking about trying something new, getting back to something you’ve set aside, or wanting something different in life but are putting it off for some inexplicable reason, read on for some motivation to get started.

Relying on someday

When we rely on the empty promise of someday, we may think we are engaging in some form of long-term planning, but really, it’s just a way to put off what we would like to have happen in our lives. Instead of delayed gratification, which is a healthy form of patience, continuing to push our dreams off until “someday” is just a form of long-term procrastination.

We have all done this to one extent or another. There are things we would love to do, but there always seems to be a reason to put off getting started. Or, if we have gotten started, we make excuses about why we need to take a break and put off finishing it.

The default in these situations is to assure ourselves that it’ll be fine because we’ll get back to it someday. Someday is when we will magically find the time, energy, and motivation to do what we have decided we simply cannot do today.

The problem with relying on someday is that we may get used to not making progress or moving forward. Doing nothing will always be easier than doing something, and we can always find reasons for why later is a better time than now to put in the effort.

Or, we may lose opportunities altogether. We find that our unique idea was used by someone else, or we end up in a situation where we truly cannot prioritize making the dream a reality.

While someday is a fine way to think about our more whimsical desires, like taking a trip to a bucket-list destination, for the goals that truly matter, someday can lead to disappointment. We only have one life, so we need to use our time wisely and make our time the best it can be.

This means taking those someday desires off the backburner and getting started. But, before we can do that, we first need to identify when we are using the someday procrastination method and figure out what is motivating us to put off doing those things that might lead to satisfying experiences.

Ways we justify putting off our goals

We do this may times throughout our lives, and it can happen several ways. Here are a few:

• Seeing the future as a far-off dream. When we were little, the future seemed to be an impossibly far away time. We would think in grand terms about what we wanted to be when we grew up, and it would often be a mix of all our wildest dreams: “I want to be an astronaut, teacher, chef, who’s also a movie star.” We can still have big dreams, but when we refer to the future as though it is a magical place in a distant time, we lose the ability to visualize our dreams in a realistic way.
• Making our dreams depend on some other outcome. Hanging a goal or dream on the existence of some other milestone that may (“when the kids move out of the house”) or may not (“when I have X amount of money”) happen, might result in the dream never becoming a reality. When we have some arbitrary start date for when we can really get to work on something we desire, we are putting off that goal to someday.
• Daydreaming rather than doing. We may also spend more time fantasizing and envisioning the goal than taking the time to plan out the steps to making our dream happen. This can happen when we would rather live in the future fairy tale than deal with our present situation. We are excited about the prospects of what this someday will bring, but we do nothing to make progress toward the goal.
• Burying our heads in the sand out of fear. What if we try and fail? What if we repeat the mistakes we made when the last dream didn’t work out? What if we get what we want and it’s just a big disappointment? What if we just wait a little longer because it will probably happen someday? Our fears and anxieties can leave us paralyzed and unable to move at all, let alone toward our dreams.

Reasons we put off our goals to someday

There may be many reasons why we may put off working on a goal or dream. Here are a few of the big ones:

• Lack of confidence. For some of us, we may feel we are either not capable or worthy of achieving our dreams. This may be for a number of reasons. Perhaps we’ve been told in the past that we didn’t have what it takes to achieve some goal. It could be that we used to come up short when we compared ourselves to others. Or, we might question our abilities because of struggles we have had or challenges we were unable to overcome when we were younger. This lack of confidence might make it easier to keep our hopes and dreams in the someday category.
• Fear of failure. Although I mentioned this in the previous section, it bears repeating as it is sometimes lurking beneath the surface. The decision to keep a dream as a far-off, someday goal, can often be explained by fear. Someday is a safe and secure place. We don’t risk anything when we simply think of doing something someday. But, we may be risking a lot by taking the leap to move towards a goal. Failure may seem like the worst outcome when we approach our goals and dreams with anxiety. And, that can prevent us from trying.
• Putting ourselves last. Moms can usually relate to this one, but it’s something that many people experience. We spend so much time caring for our families or meeting all of the responsibilities that come with being a parent and/or professional, that there seems to be no time or energy for the things we might want to do for ourselves. We may even feel trapped in a life of seemingly endless obligations that rob us of our desire to do more than just our daily routines. When we prioritize everything above ourselves, our own dreams and goals are set aside for someday.
• Trauma. While fear of failure is usually connected to the goal itself, having endured a personal trauma may leave us feeling hopeless about life in general. Our hopes and dreams feel more like something that would be nice if they could happen, but since life is usually hard and bad things always seem to happen, these goals appear more like unreachable fantasies. For folks coping with the hopelessness of trauma, even someday may feel as though they are asking for too much.

There are likely more reasons than these that we use to justify constantly putting off doing what we suspect may bring us fulfillment and joy. But, the decision to do this is just that- a choice.

In life, we almost always have more than one choice to make. We can choose to dwell on the past, regretting what we have done to place us in our current positions. We can also choose to worry about the future and hold ourselves back, since it’s easier to do nothing than it is to take a risk and move forward.

The less time we spend in the present, the more likely we are to relegate our dreams to the murky black hole that is someday. Fortunately, we can choose to use our time now to get us moving toward what we might be tempted to push off to someday.

8 action items to turn someday dreams into today’s goals

There is no magic bullet for getting yourself into the mindset of moving your someday dreams into goals you are actively pursuing today. However, there are some steps you can take that will help you shift your perception and start taking action on your goals.

1. Put them in writing. There is power in words. Your biggest hopes and dreams, until now, may have lived entirely in the safe and comfy confines of your mind. However, if you want to make them a reality, you should write them out. Put pen to paper and jot down your goals. But, be sure to write about them in the past tense, as though you have already achieved them. Part of what you are doing when you write about your goals as though they already happened is you are solidifying in your mind what can happen. It gives them a sense of legitimacy, and it teaches your mind to accept them as reality. Then, once you have written them down once, repeat the words. Write them over and over again– perhaps even daily. Each time you write them out, you are reinforcing them for yourself.
2. Journal about them. This is different than just putting your goals in writing. When you journal about your goals and dreams, be specific about what you want to have happen with them. I compare this to a written vision board. When you use descriptive words that paint a picture of your goals, you again reinforce what it will be like when you achieve them. Here are some journaling prompts for exploring your thoughts about those goals and dreams:
   • Put in words what this goal means to you and how it will have affected your life when you achieve it. Why are you hoping to achieve this goal?  What will reaching this goal mean in your life? When you tap into your intention, this can motivate you to keep going.
   • Brainstorm and list out steps you will need to take to achieve your goals. Break them down into smaller tasks and habits. Then, place them in the order in which it will take to reach the goal.
   • Write about what it feels like to make progress on each step. Tap into the desires that are motivating this goal and envision yourself not only moving forward, but experiencing the thrill of making progress.
   • Describe how it feels to have achieved the goal. In the same way you write about making progress, put in words the feelings you know you will have once you achieve your goal. Describe how happy or satisfied will you feel once you get there.
3. Find an accountability partner. Sometimes we perform better in front of an audience. An accountability partner is someone who knows what you are doing and can hold you accountable as you take steps toward your goal. This person should be someone you can trust to support you in your dreams. This means choosing someone who really cares about you, and not a person you know to be competitive or who might sabotage your efforts. It should also be a responsible person who will check in with you and make sure you’re still making progress over time.
4. Find a mentor. While an accountability partner is a person who will cheer you along and make sure you’re making constant progress toward your goals, a mentor is someone who has already achieved that goal, or a similar one, and can advise you about your journey. If you are embarking on a path that is new to you, it might be helpful to find someone who has already accomplished something similar. A good mentor will provide guidance and let you know what pitfalls to avoid, as they are familiar with what it is you are trying to achieve. Again, choose someone who is confident and unlikely to mislead you out of some sense of competition.
5. Use mantras. Tell yourself what you need to hear. If your lack of confidence is holding you back, remind yourself that you are worthy and capable. If you fear failure or disappointment, remind yourself that the only true failure is not to have tried. Perhaps you have always felt that you need to put others’ needs before your own. If so, tell yourself that your needs are equally as important as the needs of others. You are enough. You can do this. Progress, not perfection. Baby steps. There are countless ways to encourage yourself, and mantras are short catchphrases that should make it easy to remember why you are reaching for your goals. (Note: if you are suffering from trauma or are in a living in a bad situation, getting some form of help may be necessary before you can embark on these suggestions.)
6. Live in the present. In order to avoid dwelling on the past or living solely in a fictional future, remind yourself to focus on what you can do today to reach your goals. One way to do this is to be grateful for the little and big things you have going for you each day. If you want to know more about how to keep a gratitude journal, check out this link. Other ways to live in the present are to describe what you are doing in each moment. Try to check in with your feelings. Plan out what you will do today, not what you have or haven’t done in the past or what you might get to tomorrow.
7. Use a goal-setting system. Writing out goals can be difficult if you have not had a chance to really identify what they are and the steps it will take to achieve them. If this is something you struggle with, get a goal-setting planner or journal. These books have guided worksheets that will lead you through the process of identifying goals and setting up task lists and habits that will help you achieve them. I have been using the PowerSheets Goal-Setting Planner by Cultivate What Matters for 3 years, and highly recommend it. The 2021 planner launches next month, but you can see a review of the 2020 planner here.
8. Track your wins. As you try these action items and move through the steps of achieving your goals, write down your “wins.” Wins are any progress you have made toward achieving your goals. If you have written out your goals in the past tense, note that as a win. If you lined up an accountability partner, count that down as a win. After you have completed a task needed to achieve your goal, count it as a win and reward yourself. You can use whatever system makes sense for you to track your wins: a habit tracker, a calendar with gold stars, or writing out the wins in a planner. Seeing even a little bit of progress each day or week will motivate you to keep going.

If you’re looking for a good read on goal-setting and how to get motivated to see your goals through, I recommend Rachel Hollis, Girl Stop Apologizing.

While someday can be a fun way to dream about and takes the pressure off us to do something now, it can also delay our achieving the things that lead to greater fulfillment in our lives. See if something you have placed in the someday pile can be made more of a priority today.

What are your tips for making progress in your goals? How do you conquer procrastination or make time for what matters to you? Leave a comment below!

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**Image credits-Now/Later sign, woman’s hands writing in planner, calendar, and Start sign found on Pixabay; woman at computer found on Unsplash.