Ways To Create More Positive Anticipation In Your Life
Creating positive anticipation for yourself allows you to take control of your life by planning exciting events – both big and small – to look forward to. In this article, we’ll go over ways you can create more positive anticipation in your life. We’ll also provide examples that you can incorporate into your schedule to start creating positive anticipation both in your everyday life and for the future! If you want to read more about the importance of having things to look forward to, check out this article.
Plan Exciting Events
The first and most obvious way to create more positive anticipation in your life is to plan some exciting events! Schedule events or activities that bring you joy that you can look forward to. This could be a weekend getaway, a dinner with friends, a concert, a new class or workshop, or any other experience that excites you! Check out some of the examples below for inspiration and see where you can add a few events to your calendar!
Ideas for Creating Positive Anticipation:
- Create a fancy drink recipe – coffee, tea, mocktail – for yourself to enjoy!
- Plan an album listening party with yourself, significant other, or friends and listen to a new album on release day.
- Take a bubble bath or give yourself a DIY spa day with a face mask and mani/pedi.
- Read a fiction book. Make it an event by lighting candles, preparing a drink/snack, and getting cozy.
- Have a game night with your family or friends!
- Plan a day to binge-watch a show that you love. Get cozy, turn off the lights, and make sure to have some snacks on hand!
- Try a new hobby. Think of something you’ve always wanted to try and just take that first step toward working on it. It can be something super simple like crocheting, painting, playing video games, writing, building LEGO sets, photography, etc. You might surprise yourself with how much you love it!
- Schedule a brunch/lunch/dinner date with family or friends.
- Sign up for a class – either online or in-person.
- Check out local events in your town and plan to attend one that interests you!
- Plan an at-home yoga retreat! Find online practices for free on YouTube. Then, prepare healthful foods and carve out time to journal and meditate.
- Buy tickets to a concert/show that you really want to see. If money is tight, try Afterpay or Klarna which allow you to pay for the total cost over 4 interest-free payments.
- Plan for a vacation and take the first step toward making it happen! Pick a destination and map out what activities you’d want to do and where you’d want to stay. Then, get creative and make a Pinterest board of ideas and photos dedicated to your vacation.
- Visit a town you’ve never been to and make a day-trip out of it!
- You’re NEVER too old to throw a party just for fun! It could be a tea party, or one based on a movie, book, or video game you love. There are so many different, fun party themes you could choose from! Invite your family and friends and then have everyone bring food that relates to the theme and dress up for the occasion!
Create A Countdown
Creating a countdown can help build excitement and positive anticipation around upcoming events as they get closer. It’s fun to watch the days count down and the time get closer until your big event, especially if you’re doing so with others! Use a countdown app or mark off the days on your calendar to track the days until your anticipated event.
Set Meaningful Goals
Another way to create positive anticipation for yourself is to work toward goals that matter to you. Firstly, identify goals that are personal and meaningful to you. These goals can pertain to any area of your life – health and wellness, relationships, career, creative, personal growth, etc. Once you have some goals in mind, break those goals down into small, actionable steps. Then, take the first step, however small, toward reaching that goal. Making progress on goals a little at a time creates positive anticipation as you get closer to achieving your desired results.
Try Something New
Step out of your comfort zone and try something new! Dabble in a hobby you’ve been wanting to try. Eat at a restaurant you’ve never been to before. Visit a travel destination on your bucket list. Trying new things breaks up the monotony of your day-to-day life and additionally makes you a more interesting person by providing you with new and diverse experiences. By exploring new things you can create a sense of excitement and add more positive anticipation to your life.
Practice Gratitude
Last on this list, but certainly not least, is practicing gratitude. It’s important to take time to reflect on the things and people in our lives that we’re thankful for. When you see just how many blessings you already have in your life, you can start to look forward to and positively anticipate all the wonderful things that are still yet to come!
Conclusion
To conclude, there are many ways one can create positive anticipation in their lives. You can start by adding some events to look forward to in your schedule. These can be as big or small as you like. Creating positive anticipation certainly doesn’t have to be some big, expensive event or getaway. It’s also important to create positive anticipation in our day-to-day lives by savoring a cup of coffee or waking up early to watch the sunrise. The little things are definitely equally as important as the big ones!
Photo credit: Vaibhav Kashyap on Pexels
