Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to make sure we always have special
Speaker 1: experiences to look forward to in the future. When we
Speaker 1: do this, time and life in general feel far more
Speaker 1: rich and fun. This pandemic has been going on for
Speaker 1: a long time, and for many people, remote work and
Speaker 1: virtual school have been going on for a long time too.
Speaker 1: It's been a tough year with less travel, fewer social engagements,
Speaker 1: and not even getting to leave home. In many cases,
Speaker 1: the days can bleed into each other, constrain lifestyles feel monotonous.
Speaker 1: Actively looking forward to special experiences can make time feel
Speaker 1: differ frint. We feel excited as we anticipate the good experiences,
Speaker 1: and we are reminded that every day isn't exactly the same.
Speaker 1: So when is the next big thing in your life
Speaker 1: that you can start looking forward to. Maybe it's Thanksgiving,
Speaker 1: which is next week for my US listeners. You love
Speaker 1: pecan pie and turkey, and Thanksgiving is the day you
Speaker 1: eat them. Christmas is just a few weeks away. You
Speaker 1: could be looking forward to the day you decorate your tree,
Speaker 1: the day you go see holiday lights, or hearing a
Speaker 1: favorite Christmas album that you packed away after the holidays
Speaker 1: last year. Everybody can probably add their own special days, vacations, birthdays,
Speaker 1: important days at work, maybe outdoor, physically distant social gatherings
Speaker 1: that are now on the calendar. By getting excited about
Speaker 1: the next big things, we can give shape and meaning
Speaker 1: to our time and avoid the feeling of monotony. Now,
Speaker 1: I not encouraging you to wish your time away as
Speaker 1: you look forward to things. This is not about saying
Speaker 1: to yourself, I can't wait till or only three more
Speaker 1: weeks till vacation, because what about the months between now
Speaker 1: and then? Time is ultimately limited, and so wishing time
Speaker 1: away is a miserable bargain. We need to enjoy the
Speaker 1: in between time. Two. Fortunately, I think it's possible to
Speaker 1: look forward to things while avoiding the trap of wishing
Speaker 1: time away. One way to do that is to have
Speaker 1: multiple things you're looking forward to at any given time.
Speaker 1: Plan one big adventure and one little adventure each week.
Speaker 1: That way, you're looking forward to the fire pit gathering
Speaker 1: with your neighbors and going cross country skiing. You're looking
Speaker 1: forward to decking the tree and going to a local
Speaker 1: amusement park that's open for limited admissions in a holiday light,
Speaker 1: display your look loking forward to Thanksgiving and cooking a
Speaker 1: special dinner for your partner's birthday. The more of these
Speaker 1: things that are on the calendar, the more life feels
Speaker 1: rich and full. So today, try to identify several special
Speaker 1: experiences coming up in the next few months that you
Speaker 1: are looking forward to. If you draw a blank, well
Speaker 1: turns out you are not helpless. Here schedule something that
Speaker 1: you truly would look forward to. Whatever it is that
Speaker 1: you can still do now, buy tickets, plan logistics, make
Speaker 1: arrangements with friends. Don't just sit there. Think about what
Speaker 1: adds joy to your life and make sure that you
Speaker 1: always have something to look forward to. When we can
Speaker 1: look forward to big fun things in our futures, we
Speaker 1: give shape to our time and we double the pleasure
Speaker 1: of special events because we enjoy them while they're happening
Speaker 1: and as we anticipate them. So what are you looking
Speaker 1: forward to? What are the next big things in your life?
Speaker 1: You can let me know at Laura at Laura Vanderkam
Speaker 1: dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening,
Speaker 1: and here's to making the most of our time. Hey everybody,
Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod.
Speaker 1: That's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.
Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: podcast at i heart media dot com that Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,
Speaker 1: I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is
Speaker 1: a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from
Speaker 1: I heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.