You Thought Change Would Make You Happier?

For most people, variety is truly the spice of life. Change and Happiness seem related and many people complain of boredom and burnout because they do the same things again and again. Changing your life, even slightly, can go a long way to making you happier. After all, life is change, and change is inevitable. Knowing how to make change work for you is a valuable key to happiness. What about signing up for a class, exploring new interests, meeting new people, and pursuing your passion? Set a goal and make it happen!

Anticipation, at first, may seem contradictory to “being in the moment,” something that’s often thought of as being essential for happiness. After all, how can we be in the here and now when we’re thinking about the future? There’s a line in the song “Anticipation” by Carly Simon – “We can never know about the days to come, but we think about them anyway…” That’s true for almost everyone – but the way that you think about future events is what separates those who are unreasonably happy.

The anticipation of a future enjoyable event produces anabolic thoughts and feelings, and just knowing something exciting is going to happen can help us experience more happiness. Often, the anticipation is even more enjoyable than the event. It’s important to have things to look forward to, be they events or goals, as we can experience the anticipation in the present moment.

Worry about a future event produces catabolic thoughts and feelings – even if the dreaded outcome never comes to pass. When you worry, you also experience anticipation in the present moment – but that anticipation is draining and distracting. How much happier could you be if you let go of worry?

Another aspect of “appreciating anticipation” is expectation. When you expect, you’re making a judgment about something occurring in a particular way – you’re attached to the outcome. Anticipating what is to come, while letting go of the expectation of exactly how it will come, is what allows you to be in the here and now while anticipating the future.

You can be unreasonably happy by trying new things, and looking forward, without judgment or expectation to what is to come.

Why not try it for this month?