Call to action: 'someday' is no plan

~ the best ideas are already inside us ... poised, clenched, waiting

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I’m serious. I’m clear. I’m certain.

Someday is never a plan.

If I’m right, and I think I am, the best of us isn’t lost.

It’s just lurking. Waiting. Collecting dust somewhere under “later.”

We’ve got ideas. We’ve got vision. Hell, we’ve got colour-coded folders full of brilliance. But what are we doing with them?

If your answer is anything like mine, “uh, not much”, welcome to the club. It’s called PNA …Procrastinators Not-Anonymous.

We don’t mean to stall.

We just keep reprioritizing.

Or waiting for a “better time.” Or, in my case, reorganizing sock drawers and calling it progress.

But here’s the thing: the magic doesn’t live in our good intentions—it lives in action.

Step.

Take another step. Any step.

So… where’s that boldness we tucked away?

That pitch we shelved?

That half-baked idea that’s 80% genius and 20% terrifying?

We hide these things well. Camouflaged as busyness. Buried under “urgent.” We tell ourselves we’re too old, too underqualified, or just “not quite ready.” We even make spreadsheets about it. But we always seem to be too busy to change the world.

Worse, we start to believe the hiding is protection, when it’s self-sabotage.

Fear isn’t the barrier.

Fear is the decoy.

What if that long-nagging idea isn’t gone, it’s not just bored; maybe it needs some sunshine, the light of day, the right chat with someone? And when you do, listen to them - but also listen to yourself.

I got a reminder of that yesterday. Over coffee. A friend offered support. Not advice. Not a lecture. Just an “I see you” moment, and I saw myself a little clearer, too.

Cue: it was time for a self-applied kick in the pants.

So this is me, saying out loud what I’ve put off too long. And if you recognize yourself in any of this?

Consider this your nudge. Your dare.

Open the file. Call the person. Pitch the thing.

No applause in hiding. But there’s power in beginning.

And if you’re still hesitating?

I dare you to challenge yourself on your nagging BHAG - to invest time and energy, or let it gather dust a while longer.

Yes, I have one, an important one, I believe.

While I’m speaking ‘only for myself’, I expect I’m not alone. I expect others to experience what I do in the course of their lives, their work, and their families; that they experience it or at least observe it in action or see it in their reflection in the mirror, in their productivity, and their measure of happiness.

AND,

I’m not meaning to suggest I’m not happy or anyone else isn’t, but I have reason to question whether we get in our own way more than we should and prevent ourselves from doing things we wish we could do, or dream of doing or ‘always wanted to’ … but we have been:

• Afraid to be laughed at

• Afraid we’ll be unsuccessful

• Afraid we are venturing into something we lack experience or qualifications for

But what if the hiding isn’t protection, what if it’s self-sabotage?

What if fear isn’t our barrier, but our DIY-prison, an excuse to mask our fear, shackle our actions and silence us from doing what we know we ought to be doing?

The great idea, the next chapter, the overdue reinvention … it’s not lost.

It’s waiting.

For your green light.

For your “why not now?” moment.

So are mine.

So, let’s all dust off the stuff in that ‘catch-all drawer’ or file folder in our computer - let’s wake those ideas beyond the elbow in the ribs, but seriously challenge ourselves to change something. Whether we pick the easiest or the toughest, let’s be our own self-mentor.

Let’s challenge ourselves to more than the easy, more than the ‘not so difficult’, and I expect we should expect to surprise ourselves, because I know we will.

Open the file. Call the person. Pitch the thing.

There’s no applause in hiding.

And, if you need a taunt or a nudge - here’s one for you:

I dare you not to!

Use whatever works for you, but remember this is about something that is not working for you because you are sitting on your hands, not doing anything about it. And what harm can it do? What good could it do for you and for others?

There IS magic in starting.

So, in the famous words of the magical guru Tom Peters,

“Ready, fire, aim!”

I publish this Musings column daily and also post poems, short stories and other ‘plus/+’ content. Many of you enjoy this column Daily for free, and I truly appreciate your readership. Paid subscriptions are modest: $8 monthly (26¢ a day), $72 annually (20¢ a day), or you can donate any amount. Paid subscribers get extra content, but everyone is welcome - your presence matters. But if you haven't yet become a paid subscriber, I'd be grateful if you'd consider it.

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