WEBVTT - Build up the excitement

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tid is that when you've got something special on the horizon,

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<v Speaker 1>build up the excitement. That way, you can maximize your enjoyment,

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<v Speaker 1>the anticipation, and the experience itself. Over the summer, I

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<v Speaker 1>went to the Olivia Rodrigo concert with my daughter. We

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<v Speaker 1>had a blast. My daughter is an Olivia Rodrigo fan

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<v Speaker 1>and knows her music pretty well. I was not particularly

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<v Speaker 1>familiar with Olivia Rodrigo before the summer. I knew she

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<v Speaker 1>was popular, especially with teen girls, but that's about all

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<v Speaker 1>I knew. So for a few weeks before the concert,

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<v Speaker 1>I gave myself a crash course in her music. I

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<v Speaker 1>listened to her songs anytime I was in the car.

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<v Speaker 1>I looked up the playlist for her concert and made

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<v Speaker 1>sure to focus on those songs in particular, so they

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<v Speaker 1>became familiar. By the time the concert rolled around, I

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<v Speaker 1>too was an Olivia Rodrigo fan, and I could sing

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<v Speaker 1>along with most of her songs. I had way more

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<v Speaker 1>fun at the concert than I would have had if

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<v Speaker 1>the concert itself had been my first exposure to her music.

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<v Speaker 1>I think you might find the same thing to be true.

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<v Speaker 1>So when you have something special coming up, like a concert,

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<v Speaker 1>a trip, a party, a fun outing, make a point

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<v Speaker 1>of actively anticipating it. When you build up the excitement,

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<v Speaker 1>everything becomes well more exciting. There are a number of

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<v Speaker 1>ways that you can do this. If you're going to

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<v Speaker 1>a performing arts event, listen to recordings, say get a

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<v Speaker 1>taste of what's in store. This is true for music,

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<v Speaker 1>but also plays operas or dance performances. You can watch those.

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<v Speaker 1>Reading a play before you see it performed is another

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<v Speaker 1>way to enhance your enjoyment. You'll be aware of the

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<v Speaker 1>subtle word play or foreshadowing in a way you wouldn't

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<v Speaker 1>be if you were just trying to take it in. Relatedly,

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<v Speaker 1>before going to a museum, find out about the collection,

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<v Speaker 1>get to know the artists or topics the museum explores.

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<v Speaker 1>If you're going to a city you've never been to,

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<v Speaker 1>read about the city, talk with friends who have been

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<v Speaker 1>there recently, and identify attractions you'd like to see. In

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<v Speaker 1>addition to planning what you'll do while you're visiting the

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<v Speaker 1>new place, you can read novels, see movies, or listen

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<v Speaker 1>to music from or about the place. This isn't particularly

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<v Speaker 1>hard to do. You can search books by Montreal authors

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<v Speaker 1>or movie suton Paris and come up with lots of

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<v Speaker 1>ways to encounter a place before you get there. Even

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<v Speaker 1>if you are not person only responsible for planning an event,

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<v Speaker 1>try to get some of the details ahead of time.

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<v Speaker 1>That way, you can be intentional about anticipating your experience.

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<v Speaker 1>Preview the menu for a special restaurant, look at the

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<v Speaker 1>RSVP list to a party if you know it's visible,

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<v Speaker 1>and then maybe email a friend who's also on there

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<v Speaker 1>to say how excited you are. Look at photos of

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<v Speaker 1>Hawaii's beaches and flowers before you get on a plane

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<v Speaker 1>to go there. You can also ask anybody who will

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<v Speaker 1>participate in experience with you what they are looking forward to.

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<v Speaker 1>Now this seems straightforward enough, but I suspect one reason

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<v Speaker 1>people might not try to build up the excitement is

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<v Speaker 1>a bit of pessimism. When we are really looking forward

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<v Speaker 1>to something, it can feel devastating to not have it happen,

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<v Speaker 1>so we don't want to jinx ourselves. But there is

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<v Speaker 1>some research finding that anticipation accounts for the lion's share

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<v Speaker 1>of any happiness associated with an event. Your dinner will

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<v Speaker 1>be great, but it will only take about ninety minutes.

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<v Speaker 1>You can look forward to the dinner for weeks. So

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<v Speaker 1>most of the pleasure is in the anticipation. That means

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<v Speaker 1>that even if the event doesn't happen, by anticipating it,

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<v Speaker 1>you will have gotten most of the pleasure out of

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<v Speaker 1>it that you ever would. Perhaps that sounds crazy, but

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<v Speaker 1>if you try adopting that mindset, you might find yourself

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<v Speaker 1>feeling a little more philosophical about the things that do

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<v Speaker 1>get canceled. How do you build up the excitement for

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<v Speaker 1>special events? You can let me know at Laura at

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<v Speaker 1>Laura vandercam dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've

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<v Speaker 1>got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at

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<v Speaker 1>Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a

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<v Speaker 1>production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit

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<v Speaker 1>the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to

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<v Speaker 1>your favorite shows.