It’s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there. That’s how I feel about “Someday Isle.”
What’s Someday Isle, you ask? It’s the place people who are always saying, “Someday I’ll…” go after a while.
Getting stuck on Someday Isle comes from saying things like:
- Someday I’ll look for a better job.
- Someday I’ll open my own business.
- Someday I’ll network more.
- Someday I’ll do that big project.
- Someday I’ll get a promotion.
If you say things like these too often, you are checking your bags at Someday Isle, but never actually ending your stay. It is a mindset that ends up trapping you and limiting your career options and, ultimately, your happiness. As the Eagles say in the legendary song Hotel California, “You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave.”
That’s what happens on Someday Isle. Go there too often and you never leave. You just keep reassuring yourself by stating, “I’ll do it someday.” It’s a comforting place. Much easier to stay there than in the harsh world of trying to make something happen.
Getting off Someday Isle usually requires some help. Who is piloting that plane you need to make your escape? That’d be your ExecuNet career coach, someone who has been helping executives escape to something better for years.
If the things that are putting you on Someday Isle are truly important to you, if they will make your life better, if they are causing you stress, don’t take an “It’s not great here, but at least it doesn’t rain every day” attitude. You’ll never find career happiness that way. Instead, get some help exploring your options. There’s no need to keep putting limitations on what’s next for you!
