Raise Your Hand If You’ve Ever Thought Any of These:

• “I can’t wait until I have more money.” 
• “I’ll be happy once I get done with this.”
• “Once I lose weight, I’ll be much happier.”
• “When I pay off this debt, I can finally start living” 
• “I can’t wait to get in a relationship to go on cute dates.”
• “I can’t wait until I can start traveling more.” 
• “When I get married, I’ll be happy.” 
• “I’ll deal with that eventually.”
• “I’ll start eating healthier one day”
• “I can’t wait until I’m finally making 6 figures.”
• “Once I buy a home, I can be proud of myself.” 

Recently, I was a reading a book called “The Self Love Experiment” by Shannon Kaiser. Shannon mentions the “When Is Tomorrow Going to be Today” syndrome. Shannon described this syndrome as constantly waiting for your “real life to begin” 

I wholeheartedly believe that waiting for your fairytale life to begin is robbery. You are robbing yourself of your own life and your freedom to experience beautiful experiences right now.

The longer you stay in the mindset of “when this happens, then I can be happy”—you are prolonging living life to the fullest.

Serious Questions to Consider

• What if that “one day” you’re waiting for never comes in the form you’re waiting for?
• What if it comes in a different form you aren’t allowing yourself to recognize?
• What if it already has come and you’ve yet to recognize it and make the most of it? 

The issue lies when we are more obsessed with the future than the present. When we are more fixated on the “one day fairytale” than our reality, this creates imbalance and depression.

-Padriana Grace

I’m not implying dreams don’t come to reality; but to restrict our happiness to the notion of “when” is implying your happiness is tied to an “if” and “ifs” are —a an aspiration that doesn’t yet exist. It’s okay to have dreams and look forward to the future. However, the issue lies when we are more obsessed with the future than the present. When we are more fixated on the “one day fairytale” than our reality, this creates imbalance and depression. To be contingent to finally be happy when our life changes is manipulating God.  Assigning a timeline to your happiness as “one day” rather than your present day, is a miserable way to live, because you’ll forever be waiting to be happy.

Waiting for one day is ultimately waiting for an uncertain desire to finally happen. This notion robs us of our ability to cultivate joy in the present that we absolutely could be experiencing now. Not to say you shouldn’t dream or have goals, but postponing your permission to start living your life fully until your reality changes is gambling your opportunity to happiness. You’re limiting your happiness to an illusion that doesn’t exist, rather than finding happiness in reality. You can be happy now. Yes, you can be happy even while you don’t have it all. You can be happy with what you do have and romanticize your life with what God has given you presently. You don’t have to wait for your husband or until you’re in a relationship to embrace love or going on dates. 

Instead, why not start now? 

I know it sounds so simple. But what I had to realize… it really is that simple. Choosing happiness is a choice. Happiness doesn’t come from waiting, it comes from choosing. It is absolutely possible to live your life fully and be happy while still having dreams you aspire to become reality. 

Personally, I got tired of always finding myself waiting. I was tired of putting my happiness on layaway. So instead, I started finding reasons to be happy in what God has given me presently.

If you can’t appreciate what God has given you now, will you truly appreciate what He will give You? 

I literally made myself reflect over things in my life that I was thankful for and chose to be happy for those things. Not only did I choose to be happy for those things, I chose to romanticize my joys to enable enjoying them to the fullest. 

How Fairytales May Actually Look In Real Life

You Create Your Own Fairytales

I also love dates, cooking, and going out to dinner. So, I romanticized this and changed my mindset. I stopped waiting to be in relationship to enjoy these activities. I cook, go out to dinner, and have dates now. I’ve found joy in making new recipes that are healthy and that I  genuinely enjoy cooking. I make plans to date myself and take myself out to eat at least once a month. If I don’t want to go solo, I plan dinner/brunch with one of my girlfriends or my mom, intentionally dress up, and I  have a great time of girl time. Dates give me a reason to dress up and let’s be honest… having a good meal, a cute/sexy drink (even if it’s a mock-tail), shared by laughter with your bestie is top tier in my opinion. The point is—stop waiting to live. 

“The pounds didn’t drop when I was simply “waiting” for them to drop, they dropped when I decided to live my life fully”

Padriana Grace

Find the small things your heart truly loves and bask in them. I stopped “waiting” to have the perfect body and started living my life to result in a body that I cherished and desired. I started eating healthier meals that I actually enjoyed (instagram is full of amazing recipes that will inspire you) and the pounds started dropping. The pounds didn’t drop when I was simply “waiting” for them to drop, they dropped when I decided to live my life fully and choose choices that resulted to bringing me happiness. 

Make The Most Of What You Do Have and Can Do

Once you start living your life and amplifying the small things in your life that bring you joy, you are living in the present.  Living your life intentionally involves making decisions that serve your happiness or lead you to your happiness. You’ll find that fairytale moments exist right now in your life. It’s about you choosing to make routines and decisions apart of your fairytale.

Once I stopped waiting on “one day” and embraced my present fairytales, my life naturally started attracting the things I was waiting for. I found fairytales in my everyday joys that I do have. My dates with my mom, girlfriends, my Starbucks and Barnes & Nobels trips (where I sit and read for literally hours) my experiences meeting new people, putting smiles on strangers faces, cooking, saying yes to taking a nap, the work I create, my personal growth—these are all things that indeed are personal fairytales in my life that I decided I have the power to enhance, amplify, romanticize and enjoy fully now. 

Think of the things you want to do in your life and do them now. It really is that simple. It doesn’t have to be hard, we make it hard by limiting our happiness to one day. Take that pressure off yourself and LIVE! 

Xoxo, Padriana

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

-Philippians 4:6-7