Photo by Windows on Unsplash
The other day, as I sat in a waiting room before my annual physical, I came across an article in Living Well Magazine titled “Someday Syndrome: The Enemy of Progress” (p36) by Jodie Whitaker. It struck a chord with me—probably because I see it all the time in my own practice.
Patients often tell me they’ll start exercising someday. They’ll eat better someday. They’ll make their health a priority someday. But as Whitaker points out, someday is a moving target—it never actually arrives unless we consciously set a date and take action.
In her article, Whitaker explains the mental roadblocks that keep people from following through—things like fear of failure, waiting for the perfect moment, or feeling overwhelmed by the first step. Her advice? Stop waiting for everything to align perfectly. Instead, commit to a specific step, no matter how small, and put it on the calendar.
Reading this reminded me of a conversation I had nearly 27 years ago when I was considering asking Sonia, my beautiful wife, to marry me. I wanted some fatherly advice, so I invited my dad to lunch. Right away, he knew something was up—he was usually the one inviting me to lunch and picking up the tab. (This time, I was paying, so he knew it was serious.)
As we sat across from each other, I asked, “How did you know Mom was the one?” He went on for a bit, then looked at me and said, “Son, if you wait ’til the moment is just right, it’ll never happen. Just ask her!” So I did. And that someday was one of the best days of my life.
It’s funny how easy it is to push big decisions off until someday. My friend Carl Youngberg once put it perfectly: “Someday isn’t a day of the week.” If something matters, it needs to be on a calendar.
That got me thinking about my own someday list. One thing I’ve been putting off? Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (or just “Shockwave”) for my office. I’ve been considering adding it to my practice for a while, but—like my patients—I kept telling myself I’d look into it someday.
So I decided to take my own medicine. Today, someday became now, and I started researching different shockwave therapy units. My next someday? This coming Friday—that’s when I’ll make my decision.
If you’ve been putting something off—whether it’s your health, your career, or cleaning out your drawer—consider setting a real date. A deadline. A today. Because the only way to beat Someday Syndrome is to stop waiting for the perfect moment and take the first step.
#TakeAction #NoMoreSomeday #BackMendersChiropractic #DrKobdish