Don't wait for some day

Don’t wait for some day

Tim Connor

Tomorrow I will….. I am hoping that…… When things change I will…… Some day when things are better I plan to….. When I win the lottery I will….. Blah, Blah, Blah. Tomorrow is not certain. No one knows what waits around the next corner. Yes, waiting can be an effective strategy if you take daily or even weekly steps or actions to help them become a reality but even if and when you take these actions there is no guarantee that they will create the outcomes or results you planned or hoped for.

Ever been disappointed?  Ever failed to reach a goal? Ever had something take longer to become a reality than you anticipated? Ever looked back on some aspect of your life and felt regret, remorse or disappointment that you didn’t do something different, better, sooner or not at all?  Come on – get real here.  We all do this sooner or later in our life – that’s the reality of uncertainty in life no matter how precise, confident, detailed and certain we are that things will happen.

Some day – when is some day?  Next week… next year… before you die… when someone else or something else improves or changes for the better… or possibly… never!

Disappointment is as much a part of life as every heartbeat you get. The only way to avoid it is to lock yourself in the closet for seventy years or never take a risk, try something new or different or just wait for – whenever.

Yes, we all want better, sooner or even now (a rather idiotic life approach in my opinion) but, nonetheless millions of people around the world spend far too much time waiting for someday.

Is there a better approach than waiting? Yes, no and maybe.

Yes – The answer to this one is simple – act, do something to routinely move closer to your dreams or goals, but beware of the impending uncertainty and reality that always waits in the wings to disrupt or derail your goals, plans or dreams.

Any mature individual who has experienced disappointment uses it to grow and learn.   

People who see themselves as victims always blame or point the finger at someone or something else for their failure or negative outcomes.

Get it – you can’t control the future and you can’t change the past – all we can do is do our best in the present with the resources, knowledge, experience and guidance from others to work towards our desired outcomes accepting with poise, courage and confidence what happens using it in some way to impact a better future. Any other life strategy is dysfunctional and stupid.  Life owes us nothing.  The world owes us nothing.  The government owes us nothing.  Our parents owe us nothing. Uncle Bill owes us nothing. 

What we have, do and accomplish in the end is entirely up to us.

Yes, you may have inherited a fortune.  Yes, you may have been handed an ideal life by your parents and yes you might be the luckiest person who ever lived but beware – sooner or later any of these benefits come with responsibility and ultimate consequences – some positive and some negative.

No – Again a simple answer. Waiting is senseless in most cases when it replaces action, the right behaviors and planning (again plans are only a roadmap they are not certain).

I’m not talking here about waiting in a line at a retail store or for the server to bring you your meal in a restaurant.  I am referring here to waiting for the larger things in life – the right life partner, the ideal job, business success, and your health to improve without proactive actions.

Maybe – This is a tough one as many people who wait ultimately get what they want but it often doesn’t look like they thought it would.  Many people wait and get exactly what they want.

What’s the difference?  Read the two above again and it should be clear. Waiting works when we don’t attach to predetermined outcomes/expectations and do what we can while we wait.

“Every man is his own ancestor, and every man his own heir.  He devises his own future and he inherits his own past.”

H.F. Hedge