Why waiting for “some day” keeps you from moving forward

You hear all the time about people who have had a near-death experience and suddenly have a whole new drive to take risks, do something that matters or make a huge change in their lives. They’ve been motivated by a deep understanding and awareness that our time here is limited.

But for most of us, we live each day with the feeling that we have many tomorrows, and while this is likely true, it also can be the biggest reason we don’t take action towards our personal goals.

How many times have we seen how putting things off for days can slip into weeks? And weeks into months. Or how we find ourselves making New Year’s resolutions with the same goals as we did the previous year?

This is why the future can be the enemy of our success. Feeling like there is an unlimited time to complete something actually allows us to shift the work that’s needed off to the future, to “some day.” Some of us may never get to our “some days.” Lack of confidence alone begins to set in and take over. “Well, I’ve had years to make this happen and I haven’t done it yet, so what’s going to change now,” we may tell ourselves.

What makes us act now? “Available for a limited time only”

When you think about all the things you are willing to make happen now, external timetables are a very big motivator. Think about the purchase you make because an item is on sale, the child’s birthday party you find time to plan when you are impossibly busy, the work project you stay up late for to meet a deadline, or the volunteer project you spend countless hours on amidst everything else because of a fundraising event. If only you could give your personal goals this same priority, right?

Our track record when external deadlines are imposed show us that we have the ability to take on amazing tasks and complete them despite a full schedule. So why not use this same forced prioritization with our own goals?

Forcing action towards our personal goals by creating a sense of urgency

Put the odds of success in your corner by forcing a timetable. Here are a few ways:

1) Set a deadline with a consequence

Set a date for yourself, sometime in the future, that you absolutely have to have your goal completed by. Determine what must happen on that date if you don’t reach your goal. Share that date and your self-imposed consequence with people close to you so that you can’t talk yourself out of the commitment you’ve made. 

2) Invest in a program that keeps you on track

The reason personal trainers and boot camps are so popular is that they force our own accountability. Not only have we now paid money towards our goal, we know the time is limited – either by the length of the program itself, the limited availability of the opportunity, or by the mere fact that, once we’ve paid for it, if we don’t take advantage of it, we can’t continue justifying the cost. I have found life coaching and business coaching programs to be hugely valuable to me for this very reason.

3) Push past the point of no return

Often people just need the fire under them to get them to act. Perhaps you know of someone who has been tinkering with starting a business, but really didn’t feel the need to commit without simply quitting their job, so the financial need alone forced them to give it their all.

4) Find inspirational peers that challenge you to keep up with similar goals

There’s nothing like a wake up call of what you are missing out on imposed by others who are achieving their dreams alongside you. If your goal is exercise, for example, a runner’s group filled with supportive peers who are achieving their fitness goals is a great way to see the lost opportunity that you aren’t fulfilling. It shows you what you could be missing out on if you did not take advantage of the passing time, and provides a support network to help you achieve your goal as well. In business and blogging, there are hundreds of Facebook groups available for this. Local support groups are available for many common goals, and networks you may not have realized exist can even be found on meetup.com. The key is to align yourself with others in the group who are starting at the same point as you, so you can see the transformation happening and be motivated by the desire to keep up with what’s possible.

5) Commit to an event or opportunity with an external deadline

Small goals can be made into imperative goals when an opportunity that you can’t pass up arises. This may be a contest, an event, or the opportunity to interact with a certain individual or group. Recently, I was highly motivated to get my professional design website rebuilt because I was attending an upcoming conference, and I knew I wouldn’t get as much out of the potential networking if my branding didn’t look it’s best. Think about how many people use marathons as a way to force their fitness goals. Find an upcoming event, a limited opportunity to share your work, or a networking opportunity and commit to it (pay money) so you can’t turn back.

6) Pay money towards your commitment

Simply paying money towards your commitment, even if not as part of an event or program, will help spur you into action. If there’s not a program or event that fits your goals, invest in training , supplies or materials that support your goal. You’ll find you feel much more need to justify these costs than if you hadn’t made the investment.

Don’t use the endless possibilities of the future to tell yourself you can do things later. I have found that a sense of urgency, imposed by outside events, investment in programs, and inspiration from others has been highly transformative in forcing me to act now towards my goals. Change is hard! Set yourself up for success with imposed timetables and you’ll find success lies just around the corner.