Someday When…

“Someday when my prince comes then I’ll feel whole and happy”

“Someday when I get on Oprah, then I’ll have succeeded”,

“Someday when I publish the book, this is when the business will really take off”.

Can you relate with these thoughts? If you’re like most of us, you can simply fill in the blank to “Someday when” and have your own projection into the future.

In my work with clients, one of my many jobs is to being a collaborative visionary. A person who walks the path with them and helps them see things for themselves that may never of been able to see on their own.

At the same time, I’m also tasked with ensuring that my clients see that, even though we spend lots of time creative visioning, and getting lots of clarity about what they want for every area of their lives, that we also don’t fall into the “Someday when” fantasy trap.

The “Someday when” trap is a common one. It’s a feeling that we aren’t happy or fulfilled now and we’ll only be happy when something outside ourselves shifts, or until we obtain something in particular. For some it’s a new car or home, for others it’s a certain achievement or milestone with work. Whatever it is, we fall into the fantasy trap by thinking that our happiness and meaning lives outside of us.

So, how do we keep the balance? How do we continue to grow and evolve in our lives/work, and continue to dream big, while staying grounded in the today?

Step 1 in the process is to Have a Vision: know what you want your life to look like in the longer-term (3-5 years out) and shorter-term (1 year) – and be as specific as you can in all areas of your life (emotional/physical/spiritual health, relationships, home & surroundings, etc.).

Step 2: After you’ve written your visions, take your 1-year and begin to dissect it for clues. Look at it closely and ask yourself: What are the feelings I’m seeking in this vision? When I think about achieving specific goals, what will it feel like to have achieved them? Mark down 3-5 feelings you uncover – and then determine how you can begin, right now, to bring those feelings into your everyday awareness.

Step 3: Continue to dissect your vision and determine the qualities that would need to be instituted to achieve these goals. For example, if you have a vision for yourself physically where you’re running more and going to the gym, is discipline and sacrifice qualities that you’ll need to reveal in yourself to bring this vision towards you? Look for 3-4 qualities that you can see being fundamental for achieving your vision in the next year – and mark them down.

Step 4: Determine what actions you can be taking on a daily basis that would begin to reveal these qualities and feelings in yourself today. Mark those actions down and make a commitment to take 1-2 each day for the next 30 days.

Learn more about Brenda Stanton at: http://www.brendastanton.com/