Anticipation

This weekend, I started to get particularly excited for my Caribbean cruise I'm looking forward to for next month! As I got more and more anxious about the details such as choosing an excursion, getting in swim suit shape and missing work,  I started to think, am I not living in the present if I'm thinking about the future, especially in this type of anxious way?

The Happiness Project disucsses the 4 stages of happiness: anticipate, savor, express and reflect.
After reading this section, I realized that subconsciously, I too, associate anticipation with the fear that I might be let down if the event I was anticipating didn't go as planned. There's always going to be things that you can't control, but in order to truly be happy in the moment, sometimes you have to anticipate the good that comes your way...More happiness bang for your buck if you will. 

This month, as I focus on my theme of getting into a routine, I'm going to do better of anticipating in the present. Most of all, I am going to follow through on making more of an effort to schedule things into my day that will give me a happiness boost. For instance, when I know that going to the last day of an exhibit at one of my favorite Fort Worth museums would boost my happiness, then why not put it in the calendar to anticipate and really get excited for it? With a little over a month until my cruise, I am going to anticipate each day of the vacation and think about it anytime I may get overwhelmed, frustrated or exhausted in the present. Even better-keeping the cruise on my mind will help motivate me to get to the gym!