Anticipation

The present is a gift, but it often feels like a window that reflects past experiences into what may come next.

The temporary nature of each moment makes it hard to hold onto. For those who like to build, it can feel lazy if we’re not constantly evolving from things we’ve learned in the past while also actively planning for the future. While staying in the moment provides peace and limitless space to appreciate the entire spectrum of now, mashing this mindfulness with an ability to explore and create fresh things is healthy and often creates the common sense of anticipation.

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This was written on a plane, right before I recorded Landing in Salt Lake City, followed by two days snowboarding in Park City, and then my first time having coffee with 1MC Salt Lake City.

Sometimes anticipation can be confused with worrying too much, but it’s quite different. Worrying is like agreeing to be unhappy until the present delivers whatever originally concerned you. These two feelings do have one key attribute in common: they are both focused on the future. This is one reason why anticipation flies in a similar orbit with worrying. In contrast though, a key difference that anticipation has going for it, is how it often has a more positive spin.

The positive nature of anticipation can be a signal of purpose and progress. It emerges all around us. It might be that new startup your building toward launch. A first date, booking travel, having a baby, the first day of school, or basically the first time trying anything new delivers different levels of this same sensation.

Another positive effect of anticipation, is how it can help guide proper planning. Creating moments in a business that allow the team to feel anticipation can fuel purpose and over time, this converts into a shared conviction. This leads to the potential to unlock a wonderful wild card: persistent. In business and in life, a strategic effort up front, without overdoing it or getting caught up in things you can’t control, may allow the anticipation of a future moment to soon land exactly the way it was meant to be.

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After whatever created the initial anticipation, it  sure feels great when a small amount of planning is paired with an open mindset and everything turns out just right.