Some day is now - Soul Journeys

~Discover 4 ways to unglue procrastination and

move in the direction of your dreams~

By Sandi Murphy

We all procrastinate in some form or another. I’ve been saying to myself for two years now that I would love to book a series of singing lessons to explore my voice so that I might move closer to manifesting my dream of singing Lily Marlene in full 1940’s Marlene Dietrich style! Yikes it feels brave to state this publicly. Honestly it’s been on my New Years resolution list for TWO years! Reasons after reasons, excuses after excuses and I can hear myself thinking. “Someday soon I’ll definitely do that. Then I hear a murmuring memory of thought gifted by Yoda in Star Wars~ “Do or do not, there is no try” ! Then I distract into all the things that seem more of a priority. Maybe you can relate ? You might have caught yourself thinking “some day I’ll be a world class ski racer, some day I’ll take a yoga retreat in Bali”, “someday I’ll skydive”, “someday I’ll leave my job and trust in pursuing what I truly love” or “some day I’ll be some body…

..and so we stop ourselves, limit ourselves with the thought that someday I’ll do such and such… when I have enough time, when I have enough money, when I’m confident enough, when I’m courageous enough, when I’m organised enough, when I’ve got it all together and so the mindless muttering continues…

We often take the time to; push the refresh button on our computer screens, de frag and clear the down loads to keep our computers from crashing BUT do we take the time; to refresh, de frag and create enough space in our own minds to consciously choose how we want to BE in life?

Hmmm…well, of course some of us have stepped on to this wellbeing path and are doing our best to ‘self care.’

I have been a dedicated advocate and practitioner of self care for years …however, it is a consistent daily practise to keep in balance, not over giving, remembering to tune in, to listen and to live as a human being rather than a human ‘doing.’

Do we truly dedicate enough focus to clearing the relentless down load of information~ the ‘likes’, the ‘unlikes’, the to do lists & time pressures? What about lifting our eyes for long enough from our mobile phones to connect with where we are going and really see into the eyes of our family and friends? What about the balance between work and social commitments, keeping fit and relishing solitude and time in nature ?

I do not believe anyone has this perfectly in check and actually it’s not about being perfect at all. It’s about consciously choosing what we value and committing to this. To choose NOT to wait to relax.

Some people wait for their lunch break to relax, others wait for their yoga class to breathe. Some people wait for the pub or that glass of wine to de frazz, some people wait for the weekend before they go with the flow, others wait for the holidays. Some people wait for a sabbatical to relax while others wait for retirement or even death to finally be still! It’s like that old kids song “I know an old lady who swallowed a horse” and we realise that “she’s dead of course! “

If we swallow more than we can chew in life without unloading, if we wait to unload because some day there will be time, if we forget the value and balance of receiving because there is just too much to do and we give and give and give, then we spiral out of control, we burn out, miss ‘singing the song’ that is inside us’ and the whole reason that we are here on this planet, in this precious life.

So how do we chip away at procrastination ?? I think what is paramount is that we choose NOW. We choose to be present.

To be fun, to be well , to be happy, to be loving, to be kind, to be joyous, to be peaceful and to be free with ourselves and others IS an art, a practise and a conscious choice. To be with full presence or even elation in each simple moment is our natural right. To cut through the obstacle of procrastination we must awaken to the reality that life is what happens to us while we are busy doing other things, that life is what is happening now, so how about we decide to be here for it? There is no time to wait. In order to be happy, to be well and to be free we must choose to be here now. We must recognise that “someday” IS now.

Here are 4 key principles that help you get present to the power of now and conquer procrastination

Personal pain is caused in the mind by identifying with the past or longing for the future.Find daily practises in mindful awareness that help you stay attentive to the present moment
Do not identify with your problems. When you do that you will never be rid of them, because then the loss of the problems will mean the loss of the self. Instead, find ways to get to know the observer part of yourself~ the thinker behind the thought.
Listen to the messages from your body and trust your intuition. Feelings are a potent barometer of what direction to move in. Right direction feels good, wrong direction does not!
Make a commitment to yourself to start today or take small steps toward realising your dreams now. Do not wait. Choose to act. It may be helpful to tell someone or write a blog about it and share it so you can be held accountable!

Today I booked a local singing guru for my first singing lesson. It felt vulnerable, certainly a little scary to follow through with, but it feels good to know I’ve taken the first step toward realising my dream. I trust that when we follow our heart we are performing an act of courage which reaps personal reward. Change is not always easy but not changing keeps us stuck.

What will you do to bring your dreams into the present moment? What choice -big or small will you honour yourself with now ? What small steps will you choose to take?

Some day is now!