Creating Positive Anticipation

I’ve heard of the danger of goal junkies, or people chasing the next high of their achievements. It can be a tough vice to fight, but our brains are also wired for growth. Addiction to highs are one thing, but anticipation for future goals are another.

When we lose hope for what’s in the future, that’s when we become depressed and afraid. Even though we don’t know exactly what our future holds, we still need to anticipate it through our goals. When you are positively anticipating a future event, you feel better and perform better in the moment. As Jim Rohn says, “the purpose of a goal is to inform your behavior now.”

Take yourself back to being a kid receiving Christmas – the most exciting part was usually the lead up to the day, not the day itself. Even if your expectations didn’t match reality, there was still joy brewing inside of you to receive a present. In the same way, when we set goals or even sights at something in the future that will happen, we perform better as we positively anticipate it.

If you’re the type to set a goal or vision for the new year, think big. Dream of what you can positively anticipate it, because even if reality doesn’t match exactly what happens in your mind, you can still await it. You will still probably perform better than if you had set an actionable goal. Create a future that you can look forward to, even if it doesn’t go as planned.