Month: June 2020

 

“One day….”  Do those words ever come to your mind?

“One day I’ll get that room cleaned.”
“One day I’ll get that project done.”
“One day I’ll reach out to that new neighbor.”
“One day I’ll create habits for better sleep/nutrition/exercise.”
“One day I’ll repair the leaky faucet.”
“One day I won’t withdraw from that difficult conversation.”
“One day I’ll save for that vacation.”
“One day I won’t yell at the kids.”
“One day I’ll stop worrying so much about everything.”
“One day….” 

Whether consciously or subconsciously, those words come more often than a lot of us realize or would like to admit.  

Shifting those words helps us shift our mindset.  The mind does a pretty good job at filling in blanks, but rather than starting at “the end” and putting all that responsibility and pressure on the mind to be there already, why not give your mind the opportunity to start with the very first step?  

A small and simple yet effective way to do this is to ask yourself: “What is the first step I can take to work towards my goal, or my one day?” 

Please go easy on yourself when figuring out that first step.  It’s okay if the first step is to look up different youtube videos of how to fix a leaky faucet (that’s right – the first step doesn’t have to be “go to the store and buy all the supplies!”).  It’s okay if the first step is to just start with some light stretching today, even for just a few minutes (that’s right – you don’t have to start running 5 miles the second you’re done reading this!).  It’s okay if the first step is to go to bed 10 minutes earlier than you did last night.  Trust me – it’s okay!

Just figure out the first step, and then go from there with the “next step,” whether the next step starts tomorrow or in a week.  It’s not about never looking forward and setting goals because goals are indeed necessary and give us direction.  Too often, we set goals and leave it at that or think of bench marks or bigger steps along the way; however, how we start often determines how far or long we will actually be able to go.

By all means, have the end, or “one day” in mind… but do so by letting today be “day one.”

You decide.