The present is a gift, but it often feels like a window that reflects past experiences into what may come next.
For those of us who like to build, we 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. It can also create a sense of anticipation.
Anticipation often arises as we try something new. Whether it be from the first day of school, a first date, booking travel, having a baby, or the unknowns in building a business, traversing apprehension is rewarded by experiential wisdom that comes from navigating the actions we take.
Sometimes anticipation can be confused with worrying. It’s different. Worrying is agreeing to be unhappy until the present delivers whatever originally concerned you. These feelings do have one thing in common: They are both focused on the future. That’s why anticipation shares an orbit with worrying. A key dissimilarity are the positive sides of anticipation.
One 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 blend purpose, and over time this converts to a team with shared convictions. When a sustained team finds joy in their mission, progress is felt and the wild card of persistence is up for grabs.
Distractions are impossible to avoid, and agitation is hard to fend off during tough times, but the Canadian saying, “Keep your stick on the ice,” reminds us to chill, keep it simple, and be ready for anything. With our sticks on the ice, we embrace challenges, bend without breaking, push through the storm, and appreciate what makes good times great. Business potential awaits when we say yes to adventure, even when business is not on our agenda.
In business and in life, a strategic effort up front, without overdoing it or getting caught up in things you can’t control, allows the anticipation of a future moment to land exactly the way it was meant to be.
Brewed From Within
#93 📖 Life & Happiness
4 Comments
Ben McDougal · October 5, 2026 at 1:30 PM
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.
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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