“When was the last time you did something for the first time?”
– unknown
Having something to look forward to and work towards helps us have a healthy outlook on life. It’s not about wishing our life away and always living in the future, it’s about doing our stuff, you know the stuff that is important to us. It’s about working with a clear focus and connecting with our goal/s, then having the reward along the way and/or at the end.
We all at some stage have had something booked into the diary to look forward to, so we know what the initial excitement feels like when it’s popped into the calendar. Next comes the looking forward to it journey and we may have butterflies in our stomach, a fluttery feeling in our heart or tingles all over our body and then, ‘Wham’ as if from nowhere it’s finally arrived and we are doing it and being in the moment. The event or occasion can be anything from a wedding/celebration, a holiday, a party, connection with a friend, job interview, massage, purchasing a new car or even moving house or country.
It can also be the accomplishment that goes with getting to that date, this can be getting through the exam or assignment, getting the job, climbing a mountain or accomplishing the challenge. It can also be the ending of something like a divorce resulting in being free to now run our life the way that we want. Like divorce and bankruptcy this ending can be seen as moving from one life and onto the next, it can give us permission to now step out into the unknown and start discovering what is really important to us. What is the next stage and where will it take us?
By having something in the diary or calendar to look forward to gives us a driver, a conversation piece, something to get out of bed in the morning for, something to talk to our children about. If it’s a family event or outing to look forward to it creates a buzz inside the family structure, how wonderful is it to see our little people getting excited and buzzed about that (whatever that is). It can bring us closer together with family and/or friends. It creates a momentum, a calmness and a different way of looking and living our life.
Creating this type of energy within ourselves or within the family unit lifts our spirits, brightens our life creating a higher vibration to operate at. The effect of this feeling will automatically ripple out encouraging us to be more pleasant to those around us, we will be more friendly and most importantly we will be kinder to ourselves. Operating from this space can also ward off negative self talk inside our head that can hold us back and keep us stuck. We will have positive and inspiring thoughts and feelings. This aligns well with Peter Drucker’s quote:
“If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old.”
If we don’t start doing something different we create stagnation and sadness. Life is about being in the moment, appreciating what we have, voicing our gratitude, smiling more frequently, looking at what we want and making it happen.
Below are some tips we could consider putting in the calendar.
- Booking a movie with a friend/family or even alone,
- Join a gym and schedule regular visits, improving our health and wellbeing,
- Book a cruise, anything from 3-10 days available out of a city close by,
- Book the hairdresser or pamper session,
- Go to dinner with friends,
- Organise a weekend away – with friends, alone or with our family,
- Put the house on the market,
- Jump out of a plane or plan an endurance event,
- Learn to play a musical instrument and book the classes,
- Plan a pilgrimage,
- Go to a meet up group and walk, dance or meet new people regularly,
- Work with a coach to discover what we truly want to do,
- Plan an amazing journey,
- Schedule some time out to sit and contemplate life.
“Once you clarify your purpose for doing something.
The way to do it becomes clearer.”
– Oprah Winfrey
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