How many times have you said, “One Day” or “I want to do that one day”? or “I can’t wait to be able to do that?”
If you are like most of us, you probably say that all the time, right?
But the big question is:
WHEN exactly is “One Day”?
When will that perfect day and time come when you can do that “thing” you have been dreaming about?
Will that day ever come? We often say “one day” even though we know we most likely will never do it.
Another big question: do you actually want to do that “thing” you are saying “one day” about? If you don’t, then no big deal.
BUT, if you do:
What the heck are you waiting for?
There will never come a magic time of perfection that will knock on your door out of nowhere.
We only have here and now, and we better make the best of it.
So, let’s start digging a little deeper. Grab a notebook and let’s start doing some soul searching.
- What things do you keep wishing for, dreaming about, wanting to do, but the closest you ever come to it is to say, “one day”?
- How many things have you been putting off until after you retire?
Write it all down as a list. Don’t hold back. Just write everything that comes to mind.
After you have made your list, let’s narrow it down a bit.
Review what you’ve written:
- Is anything on your list things you wanted to do in your younger years, but when you start thinking about it, it really doesn’t interest you any more or is no longer important to you?
Strike those out, but be honest with yourself. Don’t cross off things just because you think you can’t do them.
- Pick 3 things on your list that you want to do more than any of the other things.
I like to imagine myself at 90 and wonder “what will I regret if I never got to do them?”
Let’s go a little further, and ask yourself:
- Why haven’t I done them?
- What is standing in my way?
- Is there a reason I can’t do them now?
Write down all the reasons why you haven’t pulled the trigger yet.
We often think that we have to wait for retirement to travel, for example. Why?
Sure, our time is flexible, we don’t have to ask for permission to take time off, and we have unlimited time to use.
What Have You Been Putting Off?
There is absolutely no reason to put off living and to put off things you want to do until later or until after you have retired.
Traveling when you are 50 or 60 is a whole lot easier than when you are 70 or 80.
Dream of taking months long vacations in Europe? So, you say, “when I retire I can do that”.
I say don’t wait.
Sure, you can still do that when you do retire, but don’t wait to take those trips.
Maybe you can’t take 2 months off from work but I’m sure you can take 2 weeks off. Two weeks is plenty of time to soak in the Italian countryside or wander the streets of Paris or lay on the beach in Bali.
Pick a country or two that you want to go to more than any other place and do that first. Maybe one week in Italy and 1 week in France or Switzerland. No need to wait for retirement.
And if you can’t swing 2 full weeks, then do 10 days or a week.
Plus, it will give you some insight and actual experience into what you really enjoy, what you don’t like, and what you will skip for that longer trip in the future.
Is You Brain Keeping You Stuck?
We always think that in the future there will be some magical time when everything comes together and everything will be easier somehow. But that is rarely the case, if ever.
Our brain’s job is to keep us safe and comfortable, so it convinces us to put things off.
Our brain wants us to avoid the unfamiliar because it sees it as a threat, so we retreat back to what we know, and we put things off until an unknown time in the future that may never come.
It’s time to break out of the comfort zone and show the brain who’s the boss.
And how do you do that you ask?
By exposing yourself to new things over and over again until the unfamiliar becomes familiar.
Start small, take repeated steps and actions on a regular basis, and eventually your brain will see this as a new pattern and will no longer need to protect you. This is called neuroplasticity, which you probably have heard mentioned before. It is the brain’s ability to form new neural connections.
I always find it easier to change when I know the reason behind the difficulty of doing something. When you know the reason, you can do something about it, so understanding the science behind our decisions is really important.
How to Get Started
If you have been putting off traveling, you could start by using your weekends to visit new places within your own city. It can be a park you have never been to or a festival you never attended. Act like a tourist in your own city. Book a weekend stay at a hotel by the beach or lake.
Get used to getting out there seeing and experiencing new things.
Read all about the different places you can visit in your hometown, in another state, in another country. Get used to looking for possible travel destinations, travel tips, good travel deals, and interesting hotel stays.
Watch YouTube videos on the subject. The more you watch someone doing something, the less scary and foreign it will feel.
Take classes in person to expose yourself to new things, new environments, and new people.
Before you know it, you are a person who travels or loves getting out there trying new things.
One Day May Never Come
I can’t tell you how many people I hear about that pass away shortly after their retirement. Not saying that is going to happen, but that’s just it. We don’t know what is going to happen, but what I know for sure is that it is a lot easier to do most things at our current age than it will be in our more advanced age.
So stop putting off things for “one day”. Start doing those things now, like traveling, starting an herb garden, remodeling your home, visiting your grandchildren, learning a new language, starting a business, finishing writing that book.
Even if you have to do it on a smaller scale, on the weekends, after work, or using your vacation time, start doing all those things now. We can’t put off living.
Get Creative
Come up with creative workarounds and solutions to make it happen. With some brainstorming and strategic thinking, you will see there is more than one way to do something.
For example, using credit cards that give you travel miles is a great way to pay for airline tickets and hotel stays.
But only do this if you pay off your credit card each month. Don’t acquire credit card debt just to get airline miles.
When I discovered I could do this, I started paying everything I could on one or two travel credit cards instead of my debit card. I have to pay for groceries, gas, car insurance, Christmas gifts, etc., anyway right, so why not earn something back that will benefit me.
Do your research on which credit cards offer the best points and incentives for your needs. Some do charge a yearly fee, but a lot of the time it is worth it based on what you get in return.
TIP: Don’t use your points getting gift cards or get tempted using them when buying on Amazon. You will not get your money’s worth that way.
I always thought I was stuck traveling in economy until an unknown time in the future where I magically make a lot of money. But then I discovered that with credit card travel points, I can travel in Premium Economy, and it practically pays for the entire ticket.
I know it is not business class or first class, but trust me, Premium Economy is nice and it is a hundred times better than standard economy on so many levels. I will never go back to standard economy if I can help it.
Finding Alternative Solutions
Maybe you always wanted to take a cooking course in Paris. No reason you couldn’t do that now. There are many shorter courses that you could fit in during a vacation without being retired. You could even start with a cooking class in your own city and when you get to Paris, you might get more out of it because you have already built the base.
Or maybe you dream of buying a vacation home in your favorite city or country where you see yourself spending your summers in retirement.
But realizing how much it will really cost to own two homes can leave you feeling defeated.
Instead of giving up on your dream, consider other options.
For example, you could rent a home during the summer, and if you haven’t retired yet, you can rent a home during your vacation time.
Buying a second home comes with a lot more cost and complications that you might have considered. It’s not just the amount for the purchase of the house, but the yearly taxes, which will more than likely be more than your first home, if you own two homes. Then there is the insurance, which is not cheap, especially if you buy your vacation home in Florida, for example.
Buying a house in another country could of course be a lot cheaper, with less insurance costs depending on the country. But it could also be more than you expected.
Have you considered who will look after the house when you are not there? Who will mow the lawn and take care of the yard work? Who will make sure the pipes don’t freeze in the winter, or take care of a leak? Who will close the hurricane shutters when storms are brewing?
I’m not trying to talk you out of your dreams, and if you can afford two homes, go for it.
But we tend to romanticize things in our head when we imagine ourselves living another life in the future, and we forget about all those details.
So maybe renting a house rather than buying a house that is a permanent responsibility could be your solution for not putting off your dream or achieving that dream at all. Plus, you get to try out different areas, cities, and countries.
And renting definitely have other benefits as well. You really don’t have to worry about much, other than just show up with your suitcases and start enjoying your vacation time.
Any maintenance or issues are not your responsibility or concern.
Different alternatives to your “one day” dreams could make them possible today.
With some brainstorming and strategic thinking, you will see there is more than one way to do something.
And if you feel completely stumped, ask ChatGPT or another AI. Explain what you want to do, what difficulties you face, and ask the AI to come up with 3-5 (or more) solutions or alternatives to your problem.
AI can come up with alternatives you might have never considered. And that’s what you want. Alternatives.
There is always another way of doing something.
To Recap:
- Write a list of things you have been putting off.
- Discover your priorities and identify the 3 top things you want to do.
- Brainstorm ideas of how you could approach your dream differently. What alternatives are there?
- Utilize AI to come up with possible alternatives and solutions.
- Start living your life today and stop putting it off for “one day”.
What is your number one priority that you have been putting off?
What alternative solutions did you come up with? What actions are you going to take so you can start living your “one day” life today? Share in the comments below. I would love to hear your ideas.