Two Fridays have past in the ten days from January 26 to the time of writing this message. I have enjoyed every day; I have had the pleasure of:
(1) Having lunch with former administrative law judge colleagues,
(2) Serving on a panel with three fellow Accredited Speakers in an educational session for Toastmasters in Los Angeles,
(3) With the assistance of two Toastmasters cohorts, presenting a 3-hour training session on conducting Toastmasters speech contests,
(4) Attending a seminar on the current state of book publishing,
(5) Coaching high-school students in preparation for speech contests,
(6) Assisting other high-school students with preparation for mock trial competition, and
(7) Presenting a seminar on excellence and a keynote on change for leaders in Lions Clubs International.
It has been a busy and exhilarating ten days.
While on the bus to downtown Los Angeles on the first of the ten days--a Thursday--I heard a woman say, "I wish it was Friday." Immediately I wondered why she wanted to rush her life along. She didn't express any specific event that would occur on Friday. It appeared that she longed for the end of her work week. It saddened me to think that her daily work routine was so onerous that she could not enjoy the present moment.
What benefit is there to wish for tomorrow if you don't do something now to make tomorrow better for you?
Now is the best time--indeed, the only time--for you to live. You cannot live yesterday, nor tomorrow. You can learn from yesterday, and you can hope for tomorrow. What lies in tomorrow to give you hope is what you create for yourself now.
If what you are doing now is unpleasant to you, you should do something different now. You shouldn't wait till Friday. You may not be able to quit the awful job immediately because of financial needs and obligations. You can, however, initiate action to move on to something that you can enjoy. Take a class to hone your skills or to learn new ones. Develop the plans to start your own business. Explore possible places where you may want to move. It is not necessary to make sudden or drastic transitions. You don't have to take big steps right away. The little steps that you take now will start your journey to a new job or other activities. The prospect of the new will be your reason for hope for tomorrow.
Maybe you are unhappy because you don't have a job. Still, you should take steps now that will make the situation tomorrow different from today. This means more than just filling out and submitting job applications. Searching for a job is just one avenue for changing your current situation. Your desperation to find work is likely to lead you to a job that you don't like, and you will be unhappily employed instead of unhappily unemployed. Your objective should be to do what will give you joy. You can make this moment meaningful by taking measures for self-development in addition to looking for means to support yourself. You can take classes at the local community college, enroll in online seminars, volunteer in the community. Engaging in activities such as these will keep your mind occupied with something other than hapless job searches or the bad economy.
Life is too short as it is. There is no reason to rush it along by urging Friday to come before its time. Given that "time passes quickly when you're having fun," devise ways for making this moment fun. Friday will come before you know it--as quickly as does Monday.
You can wish for Friday all you want. Wishing by itself does not make the moment meaningful. Your appreciation and enjoyment of the present moment will not change if you are not doing something now to make tomorrow different from today. When Friday comes, it, along with Saturday and Sunday, will go quickly. Monday morning you will start all over again wishing it were Friday.