From Someday to One Day (how shifting your focus brings a dream alive)

Posted on by Sandi Amorim 25 Conversations

 

Someday you will die.

And that’s really the only someday thought you can count on.

The rest of your someday thoughts are like the numbered balls in an old school bingo basket. . .bouncing around, one idea on top of the other. Your dreams tumbling about willy nilly.

Bingo Balls: photo credit - bridges&balloons

And therein lies the problem.

You don’t think of your dreams as possible, and you don’t give them the attention they deserve.

You mostly think of them wistfully, with a tender ‘someday, maybe’ longing.

Someday I’ll travel the world.

Someday I’ll sing on stage.

Someday I’ll be my own boss.

Each one tossed about, spinning endlessly in the basket of your mind.

Whatever your someday desire is, it’s time to get real about the fact that right now – today – it’s neglected, cushioned by the unknown and surrounded by the thousands of negative thoughts you think every single day.

From the book Happy for No Reason by Marci Shimoff:

“Our minds—made up of our thoughts, beliefs, and self-talk—are always ‘on.’ According to scientists, we have about 60,000 thoughts a day. . . And what’s even more startling is that of those 60,000 thoughts, 95 percent are the same thoughts you had yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that. Your mind is like a record player playing the same record over and over again.

Still, that wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the next statistic: for the average person, 80 percent of those habitual thoughts are negative. That means that every day most people have more than 45,000 negative thoughts. Dr. Daniel Amen, a world-renowned psychiatrist and brain imaging specialist, calls them automatic negative thoughts, or ANTs.”

Basically, your someday thoughts (aka the dreams and desires you’re neglecting) are being trashed by an army of ANTs.

So, how do you stop your dream from being sidetracked by this army of negative Nellies?

As always, let’s keep it simple because it’s rarely (if ever) as complicated as you think. That’s the good news. The bad news is you don’t usually believe that and over analyze almost everything (but don’t worry, it’ s not just you!)

Back to the old school bingo hall for a moment…

Remember how all of a sudden one of the balls would get sucked into the shoot? Then the announcer (Bingo caller? What were those people called???) picked it up and announced it over the microphone.

That’s what you’re going to do next.

Hold the intention to notice everything positive that happens to you. Notice every single thought that supports one of your someday dreams.

Notice what you see, hear and feel. Use all your senses and keep track of everything that brings you joy, satisfaction and a positive sensation.

What you’re doing by noticing is helping that one dream get sucked into the shoot, and the best way to fight the ANTs is to rewire your brain for positivity.

Truth is, you’ll find evidence for whatever it is you look for.

Just for today, your job is to look for the positive.

And just like those numbered balls, one of your someday dreams will speed through the shoot asserting itself in the present.

From someday to one day, and then a date you’re willing to commit to.

It all starts here.

 

 

25 conversations started on “From Someday to One Day (how shifting your focus brings a dream alive)”

  1. Amazing the way our minds work. Love this, Sandi. So much to think about, and a good, swift kick in the butt. I’ve been working on lots of new things lately and feeling SO energized about it. Part of what’s worked for me is just (and, this will sound corny and woo-woo) believing that I have the time to do what I want to do. I’m working on stopping the incessant “I’m so busy/I have no time” chatter in my head (and sometimes on my lips) and replacing it with more positive thoughts like “I can find a few minutes for that” and “I’ve got this – no problem.”The effect has been pretty, damn amazing, I tell you. Crazy what the power of our mind can accomplish if we just point it in the right direction! 😉

    1. suddenlyjamie Love it Jamie, and it’s exactly what rewiring the brain for positivity is all about! Years ago I used to experience overwhelm quite frequently, and I blamed it on time. Until the day I had the realization that there IS enough time, the issue is more accurately, what do I spend it on? Here’s to more rewiring of those negative thoughts!  😉 

  2. Amazing the way our minds work. Love this, Sandi. So much to think about, and a good, swift kick in the butt. I’ve been working on lots of new things lately and feeling SO energized about it. Part of what’s worked for me is just (and, this will sound corny and woo-woo) believing that I have the time to do what I want to do. I’m working on stopping the incessant “I’m so busy/I have no time” chatter in my head (and sometimes on my lips) and replacing it with more positive thoughts like “I can find a few minutes for that” and “I’ve got this – no problem.”The effect has been pretty, damn amazing, I tell you. Crazy what the power of our mind can accomplish if we just point it in the right direction! 😉

  3. holy sh*t!  this is the best thing i may have ever read. I mean not really but i think you get the point.  holy sh*t!  i love it!  you make me happy sandi!  immensely! THAT is most definitely one positive thing…among thousands! thanks for introducing me to “Happy For No Reason”..it’s like permission to be me! xo

  4. Deva cards, natal chart, and tarot readings all point to one thing — my dreams are my destiny, but I just have to crush a boatload of ANTs. I need to practice life with expectancy, abundance, play, compassion, and peace. I need to act with integrity and maintain my wholeness. I need to heal. It’s been a series of floods of information. The signs are there every day. I know that my goals and desires are meant to be — I just need to stop letting the negativity deter me. This post in and of itself is a sign.

    1. sailorscorpio Those ANTs can be daunting, so just focus on one step, one action at a time. Small steps cumulatively make more of a difference than we think! I’d love to hear more about your dreams. Which one is burning to be unleashed? 

      1. Sandi Amorim sailorscorpio I burn to be an English Consultant. I want to hold grammar workshops and webinars. I want to coach clients and tutor students. I want to offer consulting services and proofreading services. I want to write — selling books would be great, but I love writing just for me, too. This dream will fund other dreams, like conducting business on my terms — outside in the sunshine, in a cozy cafe, or in a friendly home office. It will allow me the opportunity to spend more time with my family. I’ve heard that working from home is still work, but it’s not the same as leaving your house to work a second shift job, barely seeing the very kids living under your own roof.

  5. Someday thought: holding MyMiBoSo Mind, Body, Soul retreats where soul-seekers can unplug to plug back in to what’s really importantWithout realizing it, taking up my boyfriend’s offer to join him in Hawaii this weekend while he’s filming was step ONE toward creating that reality as it was the perfect reminder at the perfect time of how TRULY beneficial at a cellular level the simple act of getting outside of your normal environment can be to allow your mind, body, and soul to do its job and rejuvenate!

    4. Sabrina at MyMiBoSo Yes, yes, yes. I love this intention because I share it.  I can see, smell, taste, feel, hear the retreat I want to facilitate.  I’ll go to your retreat @Sabrina at MyMiBoSo if you’ll go to mine!

  6. Oh, I’ve got so many someday dreams — which one to attack with the APTS (automatic positive thoughts)?  Okay, got it.  The Star Polisher Foundation — a non-profit incubator for new solopreneurs and writers who are creating businesses and books that will change the world.  All the support such transformation agents need — money, education, goods, services, mentoring, community, retreats (see my reply to Sabrina below!) — to inspire them to do the work they came here to do.

  7. What a mind baffling study you shared. Wow. That is pretty scary. In theory this means if that if 40% of my thoughts are positive I still am way above average. I have to share a little story Sandi :). Yesterday I screwed up the laundry. As soon as I noticed I got it all screwed up I immediately responded in my head by saying the following:”It’s okay, there is a good lesson to be learned here”The funny thing was that this response was completely automatic. I guess that is what happens when I read too many self help books and have super encouraging parents :). 

    1. 30YearOldninja When you focus on the positive, which is what you’re doing when you read and partake of so much personal development, you’re in the process of rewiring your brain. Doesn’t mean we suddenly have perfect lives, but it sure makes it faster to let go of upsets when they happen. Just like your laundry 😉 

    2. 30YearOldninja When you focus on the positive, which is what you’re doing when you read and partake of so much personal development, you’re in the process of rewiring your brain. Doesn’t mean we suddenly have perfect lives, but it sure makes it faster to let go of upsets when they happen. Just like your laundry 😉 

  8. What a mind baffling study you shared. Wow. That is pretty scary. In theory this means if that if 40% of my thoughts are positive I still am way above average. I have to share a little story Sandi :). Yesterday I screwed up the laundry. As soon as I noticed I got it all screwed up I immediately responded in my head by saying the following:”It’s okay, there is a good lesson to be learned here”The funny thing was that this response was completely automatic. I guess that is what happens when I read too many self help books and have super encouraging parents :). 

  9. So here is the short version of my story. I have a bunch of ideas that are partially fleshed out for work and for play that I haven’t made happen yet.It is not because I haven’t started it is because I haven’t finished. I think my next step is to provide a deadline for completion and stick to that. Break it all up into bite size pieces and turn it into a series of small victories.

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