Someday Is Not On The Calendar!
http://www.money-tips.com.au/articles/120/1/Someday-Is-Not-On-The-Calendar/Page1.html
Tracy Piercy
Tracy Piercy, a Certified Financial Planner in the Uunited States, offers step by step proven success principles, tools, ideas and strategies integrated with practical financial planning strategies. She has worked in the financial industry, in insurance, banking, and as a well respected investment advisor with CIBC Wood Gundy, for more than 15 years. Tracy is the author of Enlightened Wealth, a personal money journal. To learn more about her step by step system visit http://www.moneyminding.com By Tracy Piercy
Published on 02/26/2008
What dreams, plans, and creative ideas are you putting aside 'for now' waiting for 'someday' when you have more time, more money, or something else to happen in your life? What needs to happen before you act on your dreams?
Someday Is Not On The Calendar!
I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get through this whole article without a break so please bear with me.
I’m going to share a story with you from my own experiences of dealing with the after effects when someone close to you dies.
As you read, keep in mind the financial implications of the situation that plays itself out over and over again in our lives and the lives of people we love.
My mom died suddenly at age 59 over 5 ears ago and today was a day we had been talking about for several years now.
No – not the funeral or anything like that:
Today, after months of sorting, we had a sale of her things. Actually, more specifically, we had a sale of the pieces of her lifetime hobby that were not of interest or of use to any of the immediate friends and family.
What we sold were remnants of unfinished dreams, plans, creative ideas and a lifetime of enjoyment for my mom.
My mother was a stay at home mom whose favorite pastime was sewing.
Her entire life of sewing for herself, her kids, grandkids, and friends of the family had been neatly packed into her cupboards waiting to be transformed into some handcrafted, personal work a few years ago, and was now strewn about and pawed through, bargained with and eventually sold off to others with similar interests, excited to find a bargain to craft into their own dreams, plans, and creative ideas.
I thought I was doing ok throughout this process after coming to terms with the realization that the legacy my mother had left me was not in her sewing things, but that she had taught me to sew and now I could pass that on to my daughter.
I had taken several months of quality time with my daughter sorting through this lifetime of sewing treasures and was confident in parting with that part of my heritage.
Or so I thought. An elderly woman found 2 pieces of fabric she wanted and simply asked me if I had any yellow velour.
Simple enough question, however, I knew that somewhere buried deep in the bags of discarded fabric scraps, there was a piece of yellow velour.
How did I know?
Because I remember the outfit that was made out of it probably 30 years ago, which meant buried in the bag, there was bound to be a scrap or 2 that was being saved for ‘someday’.
It, of course, would have been put with the other scraps of stretchy type fabrics ‘for now’ until they could be sorted out to be used in some amazing creation ‘someday’.
That was when I really came face to face with the realization that the life of unfinished dreams, plans, and creative ideas of my mothers, had actually found a new purpose with this elderly woman who was thrilled to have her treasured scrap of yellow velour to make soft quilts for baby’s at the children’s hospital.
I tried not to accept any money for the few scraps of velour she wanted, but she wouldn’t accept.
I quietly took the money then excused myself to be alone.
It was a beautiful start of summer day; the sky was bright blue; there was a slight breeze and the garden was full of new buds.
The breeze gently touched my temple as a gentle reminder of that motherly touch I received as a child and that…
…was the end of my lighthearted, carefree day.
I spent the rest of the day sobbing for what was lost, what could have been and for the wonder of dreams lost and dreams started.
What dreams, plans, and creative ideas are you putting aside ‘for now’ waiting for ‘someday’ when you have more time, more money, or something else to happen in your life?
What needs to happen before you act on your dreams?
There is no ‘someday’ on the calendar. Setting something aside ‘for now’ is really a non-commitment, which in itself is just an unconscious commitment, but that’s another whole story in itself.
If you want to realize something in your life, you have to search for ways to experience it now.
Your first step to realizing any kind of goal: financial, creative, physical, relational, experiential, or otherwise, is to start where you are, with what you have, and to live your life for today – not ‘someday’.
If you want to create something beautiful in your future – it won’t happen, ‘someday’.
Decide what and when, and remove ‘someday’ and ‘for now’ from your vocabulary and beautiful dreams will be yours - today.
I’m going to share a story with you from my own experiences of dealing with the after effects when someone close to you dies.
As you read, keep in mind the financial implications of the situation that plays itself out over and over again in our lives and the lives of people we love.
My mom died suddenly at age 59 over 5 ears ago and today was a day we had been talking about for several years now.
No – not the funeral or anything like that:
Today, after months of sorting, we had a sale of her things. Actually, more specifically, we had a sale of the pieces of her lifetime hobby that were not of interest or of use to any of the immediate friends and family.
What we sold were remnants of unfinished dreams, plans, creative ideas and a lifetime of enjoyment for my mom.
My mother was a stay at home mom whose favorite pastime was sewing.
Her entire life of sewing for herself, her kids, grandkids, and friends of the family had been neatly packed into her cupboards waiting to be transformed into some handcrafted, personal work a few years ago, and was now strewn about and pawed through, bargained with and eventually sold off to others with similar interests, excited to find a bargain to craft into their own dreams, plans, and creative ideas.
I thought I was doing ok throughout this process after coming to terms with the realization that the legacy my mother had left me was not in her sewing things, but that she had taught me to sew and now I could pass that on to my daughter.
I had taken several months of quality time with my daughter sorting through this lifetime of sewing treasures and was confident in parting with that part of my heritage.
Or so I thought. An elderly woman found 2 pieces of fabric she wanted and simply asked me if I had any yellow velour.
Simple enough question, however, I knew that somewhere buried deep in the bags of discarded fabric scraps, there was a piece of yellow velour.
How did I know?
Because I remember the outfit that was made out of it probably 30 years ago, which meant buried in the bag, there was bound to be a scrap or 2 that was being saved for ‘someday’.
It, of course, would have been put with the other scraps of stretchy type fabrics ‘for now’ until they could be sorted out to be used in some amazing creation ‘someday’.
That was when I really came face to face with the realization that the life of unfinished dreams, plans, and creative ideas of my mothers, had actually found a new purpose with this elderly woman who was thrilled to have her treasured scrap of yellow velour to make soft quilts for baby’s at the children’s hospital.
I tried not to accept any money for the few scraps of velour she wanted, but she wouldn’t accept.
I quietly took the money then excused myself to be alone.
It was a beautiful start of summer day; the sky was bright blue; there was a slight breeze and the garden was full of new buds.
The breeze gently touched my temple as a gentle reminder of that motherly touch I received as a child and that…
…was the end of my lighthearted, carefree day.
I spent the rest of the day sobbing for what was lost, what could have been and for the wonder of dreams lost and dreams started.
What dreams, plans, and creative ideas are you putting aside ‘for now’ waiting for ‘someday’ when you have more time, more money, or something else to happen in your life?
What needs to happen before you act on your dreams?
There is no ‘someday’ on the calendar. Setting something aside ‘for now’ is really a non-commitment, which in itself is just an unconscious commitment, but that’s another whole story in itself.
If you want to realize something in your life, you have to search for ways to experience it now.
Your first step to realizing any kind of goal: financial, creative, physical, relational, experiential, or otherwise, is to start where you are, with what you have, and to live your life for today – not ‘someday’.
If you want to create something beautiful in your future – it won’t happen, ‘someday’.
Decide what and when, and remove ‘someday’ and ‘for now’ from your vocabulary and beautiful dreams will be yours - today.