Why do I need things to look forward to?

It is amazing how quickly our lives can become drab and boring if we do not have something to look forward to. We wait far too long for that once-a-year vacation or that special event. It just isn’t enough. Or perhaps it might be enough, but being successful is not about having just enough—it’s about abundance and happiness. You need an abundance of good things to look forward to—a bare minimum of at least one thing every day. Don’t overlook the simple things, which are often the most rewarding, and bring us the greatest joy and happiness.

• a half-hour of peace to meditate or write in a journal
• write a thank you note
• take a walk with a friend
• ride your bike through the park
• enjoy a bubble bath
• see a play or go to the theatre or a concert
• try out a new restaurant
• call a friend or relative for a good chat
• read a book
• cook and enjoy a favorite meal or dish with your friends
• have a safari dinner party or potluck supper
• a good stretch or 20 minutes of yoga
• a massage
• 20 minutes sun-bathing
• a dance or exercise class
• book lunch or coffee with a friend
• buy or pick a bunch of fresh flowers and give them to a friend for no reason
• write down all the things you are most grateful for right now

These are a few simple ideas to get you started so feel free to add your own ideas as well. Sometimes it is easier to incorporate happy boosting activities into your daily life by designing an ideal morning and evening routine. If you start and end the day well, you’ll have something to look forward to twice a day!

Treat yourself with as many elements of your ideal day as possible, and you will be happier and more energized throughout the day. Take a few minutes right now to write down in vivid detail your ideal day from the moment you wake up in the morning until you fall asleep at night. How many elements of your ideal day are possible to do every day starting right now? Give yourself the time to enjoy your day and you’ll be glad to get up and out of bed every morning.

Another proven method of boosting your overall happiness is to have something big to look forward to as well. By planning fun events or trips in advance, you build up excitement and anticipation. It might be that you are planning a surprise birthday party for a friend, or a special dinner party, or a trip or weekend getaway. Again, it doesn’t take much to create more fun. I recently did a safari dinner party with two other couples. We had starters at my house with cocktails, then moved to the next house for a main course and ended at the last couple’s house for dessert and coffee. We all agreed that it was more fun as you only had the one course to prepare and present and could relax and enjoy the other courses.

Think about your ideal day and book in a few things to look forward to this week. You’ll be happier the moment you do it!

Excerpted from Coach Yourself to Success: 101 Tips to Accomplish Your Personal and Professional Goals, with permission from McGraw-Hill.

Talane Miedaner is the founder of LifeCoach.com and a Master Life Coach. She is the author of the international bestseller, Coach Yourself to Success: 101 Tips for Reaching Your Goals at Work and in Life and numerous other books and audio programs, including, Irresistible Attraction: A Way of Life™.  Click here to find the perfect coach for you–a business coach, executive coach, career coach or a life coach. Alternatively, you can enroll in our self-based Coach Yourself to Success Online course.

A reader sent me an email that made a point that I hadn’t quite grasped before. She mentioned the importance of having something to look forward to. (There’s just no graceful way to avoid ending the sentence with a proposition, sorry.)

I hadn’t quite focused on this aspect of happiness, but now I see how important it is.

My First Splendid Truth is: to tackle happiness, you must think about feeling good, feeling bad, and feeling right, in an atmosphere of growth.

Having something to look forward to makes you “feel good” and may also give an “atmosphere of growth” to your life, because the future seems bright.

Also, my Third Splendid Truth is that… happiness is a four-fold path, or a house with four stories, or a four-petalled flower—any ideas for poetic yet appropriate imagery to use?

Well, for now, I’ll just say that the Third Splendid Truth is: there are four stages for enjoying a happy event:

1. Anticipation (looking forward to it)
2. Savoring (enjoying it in the moment—remember to turn off your cell phone!)
3. Expression (sharing your pleasure with others, to heighten your experience)
4. Reflection (looking back on happy times—so take pictures)

Anticipation is a key stage; by having something to look forward to, no matter what your circumstances, you bring happiness into your life well before the event actually takes place. In fact, sometimes the happiness in anticipation is greater than the happiness actually experienced in the moment—that’s known as “rosy prospection.”

Everyone should be able to pull out a calendar and see at least a few fun things scheduled in the future weeks.

If your life is a parade of obligations, dreaded tasks, horrible encounters, and mandatory appearances, take a minute to figure out something that YOU would find fun, and make time for it. And don’t forget—just because something is fun for someone else doesn’t make it fun for you.

Be honest about your likes and dislikes. Don’t pretend that you like going to museums if you don’t. Your “fun” may not look like other people’s fun.

For example, I’m really looking forward to the Little Girl’s first days in pre-school. Her school has a long process of getting the children accustomed to separation, which means that I will do a lot of hanging around in the hallway while she’s in the classroom. I can’t wait.

What to do when theres nothing to look forward to?

How do I find things to look forward to?

What is the feeling of looking forward?

How do you find something to look forward to every day?