Have you ever had a horrible day, week, or month, but you had something great to look forward to? If you’ve ever been in that situation, you know how much it can help to have something exciting looming on the horizon.
No matter how tough life can be, the power of anticipation can put a smile on your face.
Fortunately, it’s easy to use the power of anticipation. It’s always available to you, and it doesn’t have to cost a dime. It’s a great way to enhance your mood and your success.
Master the use of anticipation with these strategies:
- Use anticipation as motivation to achieve your goals. It’s easier to achieve your goals if you use anticipation in a positive way. For example, if your goal is to lose 25 pounds, you might anticipate how great you’re going to look or all the compliments you’ll receive.
– On the other hand, if you’re anticipating how hungry you’re going to feel, it will be more challenging to be successful.
– Anticipation will also help you overcome obstacles and persevere until you reach your goal.
- Just thinking about doing something you like lightens your mood. Studies have shown that having something to look forward to puts you in a better mood. But you already knew this.
– Whether you’re looking forward to receiving a desirable package in the mail, a date on Saturday night, a bonus at work, or a trip to Cancun, it certainly has a positive impact on your mood!
- Give yourself something to look forward to each day, week, month, and year. Give yourself plenty of things to look forward to in both the short and long term. Here are a few examples.
– Daily: A walk with your dog. A cup of your favorite coffee. Getting home and shutting out the world. Lunch at your favorite restaurant.
– Weekly: Dinner with friends. Sleeping late on Saturday. Going to a ballgame. Buying a new book.
– Monthly: A weekend out of town. Buying yourself a treat.
– Annually: You might plan to buy a new car at the end of the year, take a big trip, or buy a house.
- Consider the alternative. What if you didn’t have anything to look forward to? Imagine having a life so lacking in hope that you felt you had nothing to look forward to. It would be a challenging existence for sure.
– No matter how bleak your life might look, ensure that you have something to look forward to in the future that gives you a reason to smile.
- Keep several things in your pantry that you love. Having a hard day? You can look forward to your favorite chocolate bar, a bottle of beer, or frozen treat.
– Always having your favorite foods or beverages handy is an easy way to make a bad day better.
Remember Christmas as a kid? With a few weeks left in the semester, you were ready to be out of school. One of the things that kept you going was knowing that Christmas was just around the corner. Summer vacation was similar. Thinking about everything you were going to do over the summer was a great boost to your mood.
As an adult, we don’t have as many exciting things built into our schedule. We have to take responsibility for giving ourselves things to look forward to.
Start today and give yourself something to look forward to tomorrow. It can be as simple as relaxing on the couch with your dog and your favorite movie after work. A little anticipation can change your life for the better.
