Are You On Someday Isle?
Here I go again. It seems that I go for months without writing. Why? Writing is great therapy for me. I can get my inner feelings out when there is no one close by to listen to them. I don’t even need for anyone to actually read what I write to feel like I have shared my feelings. So why do I wait? I've been stuck on Someday Isle. It’s time to sail off to St. Somewhere, a beautiful place that feels like paradise.
I've made that trip many times. I've got off of the couch and ran a marathon. I went from doing a mindless job to travelling the country as a consultant. I built my own log home with no home-building experience. I've even started several businesses. One failed, the other two are going strong. I strayed off of St. Somewhere and let the current drift me back to Someday Isle several times. Each time it took effort to remove the anchor and set sail toward my dream. Other than the one storm that drowned my one business, I made it back to where I really want to be.
My running students have left the port of Someday Isle. They put into action the dream of running a 5K. They made it past the hardest part of training, signing up and getting out of the door and to class. They will reach their destination. They have a great navigator, me. They trust me and I will do whatever it takes to get them to their goal. If one person seems like they are lost I will find them and get them back on course.
So how did they make that step, or giant leap in some cases? What keeps us from making that step towards our St. Somewhere, our goal. Maybe there isn't a goal. We can’t get somewhere if we don’t know where we want to go. Maybe we do know where we want to go but someone is stopping us. I’m sure that’s a little trickier than just setting a goal and starting off on the journey. Sometimes it is just more comfortable to stay put because it is easier or has less resistance. Before you can leave Someday Isle you need to know why you are marooned there.
Does someone laugh at you when you share a goal with them? They tell you you’re crazy? Or maybe you really want to do something and you’re in a relationship and your partner thinks the idea is insane or would hurt them or make them feel uncomfortable in some way. Maybe you compromise what you really want to achieve because it is easier on someone else. These are really common obstructions to being able to set goals, achieve them, and be happy.
I really don’t have an answer to how to navigate around those glaciers, I am not a Psychologist. I would, however, encourage anyone to do what it takes to make that journey. There are plenty of good therapists around, self-help books, even great articles on the internet that can help you. Hopefully you don’t have any heavy anchors and just need that push off to get in the gulf stream over to St. Somewhere. Don’t be afraid, there are lots of lighthouses to keep you safe and the Coast Guard if you get lost. Just use your communication device and there will be guidance. You have to make sure you know how to use that device before you set sail.
A few things made me write about this subject. One of them was that I saw a great image on a website yesterday that I visit almost daily. It was a picture of a blackboard. On the right half of the blackboard there was a large circle drawn. Inside the circle were the words “where dreams happen”. Close by but slightly on the other half of the blackboard was a much smaller circle with the words “comfort zone”. A great visual to show that there is a larger place in our lives where we can be much happier if we just travel a short distance out of our comfort zone.
Maybe it won’t take much to get off of Someday Isle, the little circle, and over to St. Somewhere, the big one, and maybe it will be a bigger struggle. I make that trip all too frequently but I know the course blindfolded now. Maybe I’ll see you out there and hopefully on St. Somewhere. Do whatever it takes to get there and don’t be afraid to ask for help. I and many others know the way. You might need to fix your vessel and we may not be able to do that, but once you set sail you can join our armada.
I've made that trip many times. I've got off of the couch and ran a marathon. I went from doing a mindless job to travelling the country as a consultant. I built my own log home with no home-building experience. I've even started several businesses. One failed, the other two are going strong. I strayed off of St. Somewhere and let the current drift me back to Someday Isle several times. Each time it took effort to remove the anchor and set sail toward my dream. Other than the one storm that drowned my one business, I made it back to where I really want to be.
My running students have left the port of Someday Isle. They put into action the dream of running a 5K. They made it past the hardest part of training, signing up and getting out of the door and to class. They will reach their destination. They have a great navigator, me. They trust me and I will do whatever it takes to get them to their goal. If one person seems like they are lost I will find them and get them back on course.
So how did they make that step, or giant leap in some cases? What keeps us from making that step towards our St. Somewhere, our goal. Maybe there isn't a goal. We can’t get somewhere if we don’t know where we want to go. Maybe we do know where we want to go but someone is stopping us. I’m sure that’s a little trickier than just setting a goal and starting off on the journey. Sometimes it is just more comfortable to stay put because it is easier or has less resistance. Before you can leave Someday Isle you need to know why you are marooned there.
Does someone laugh at you when you share a goal with them? They tell you you’re crazy? Or maybe you really want to do something and you’re in a relationship and your partner thinks the idea is insane or would hurt them or make them feel uncomfortable in some way. Maybe you compromise what you really want to achieve because it is easier on someone else. These are really common obstructions to being able to set goals, achieve them, and be happy.
I really don’t have an answer to how to navigate around those glaciers, I am not a Psychologist. I would, however, encourage anyone to do what it takes to make that journey. There are plenty of good therapists around, self-help books, even great articles on the internet that can help you. Hopefully you don’t have any heavy anchors and just need that push off to get in the gulf stream over to St. Somewhere. Don’t be afraid, there are lots of lighthouses to keep you safe and the Coast Guard if you get lost. Just use your communication device and there will be guidance. You have to make sure you know how to use that device before you set sail.
A few things made me write about this subject. One of them was that I saw a great image on a website yesterday that I visit almost daily. It was a picture of a blackboard. On the right half of the blackboard there was a large circle drawn. Inside the circle were the words “where dreams happen”. Close by but slightly on the other half of the blackboard was a much smaller circle with the words “comfort zone”. A great visual to show that there is a larger place in our lives where we can be much happier if we just travel a short distance out of our comfort zone.
Maybe it won’t take much to get off of Someday Isle, the little circle, and over to St. Somewhere, the big one, and maybe it will be a bigger struggle. I make that trip all too frequently but I know the course blindfolded now. Maybe I’ll see you out there and hopefully on St. Somewhere. Do whatever it takes to get there and don’t be afraid to ask for help. I and many others know the way. You might need to fix your vessel and we may not be able to do that, but once you set sail you can join our armada.
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