{"id":4118,"date":"2018-07-20T14:58:35","date_gmt":"2018-07-20T20:58:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.happysimpleliving.com\/?p=4118"},"modified":"2023-08-06T09:32:59","modified_gmt":"2023-08-06T15:32:59","slug":"look-forward-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.happysimpleliving.com\/look-forward-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Do You Have a Look Forward List?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Essential<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I read the quote above (attributed to various people, from Mark Twain to Oprah) a couple of years ago. Those three things–something good to do, someone to love, and something to look forward to—are said to be the essentials of a happy life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Never mind that the phrase “something to look forward to” ends in a preposition and makes my editorial eye twitch just a tiny bit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How about you? Do you have those three things in your life right now? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a period of time a few years back when I was busy dealing with life challenges and pretty much just trying to get through each day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps you’ve been there, too — a stretch of time when daily life feels like kind of a grind. It might be a season of long days home with a rowdy toddler, or a rough patch in a marriage, or caring for an ailing parent, or just managing a ton of responsibility on your shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anticipation is Half the Fun<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The quote above made me think twice when I was going through that rough patch. I was fortunate to have good things to do and people to love, but what was I looking forward to? When I couldn’t really think of anything, I realized how ridiculous that seemed and decided to write a list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I pulled out my favorite cheap notebook<\/a> and settled in my favorite chair to write.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Moment of Truth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tick tock, tick tock<\/em>… I stared at the blank paper and racked my brain. My calendar held mostly obligatory meetings and school events. We didn’t have any vacations planned. No splurges ahead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Cup of Future Fun was empty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That exercise made me realize that if I wanted to have balance and help others, I needed to creatively manage my own happiness, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I needed some things to look forward to. Or in the more proper English way of saying it, I needed some things to which I could look forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okay, that sounds kind of silly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I really needed was a Look Forward list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planning Some Fun<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first thing I did was purchase two inexpensive tickets on Southwest Airlines to southern California. The trip wouldn’t happen for four months, but guess what?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to research presented in the The New York Times<\/em>, we derive even more pleasure from anticipating a vacation than taking the actual trip. Double bliss!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, I made care arrangements for my son and reached out to a couple girlfriends to plan a group dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And because my son’s school had a late start every Wednesday, I decided to use those quiet hours each week creating art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So my list went from blank, to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. California getaway<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Dinner with girlfriends<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Create art every Wednesday morning<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    It was a small but mighty step<\/a>. My Look Forward list lifted my spirits immediately. Gradually I added other things:  A walk with a neighbor. A massage. Pie and coffee with my parents. Movies with a friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    These days, writing and reviewing my Look Forward list is something I enjoy doing every week. I’m happy to say that focusing on future fun plans has made me feel more happy and balanced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How About You?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Do you have enough things to look forward to? Maybe it’s time to add a fun outing, a short escape<\/a>, or a staycation<\/a> to your Look Forward List.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What could you plan right now<\/em> for future fun?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you write your Look Forward list, will you let me know? I always love hearing your thoughts and ideas, so drop a comment below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4973,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"limit_modified_date":"1","last_modified_date":"2023-08-06T09:32:59","wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[511,512],"class_list":["post-4118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-simple-living","tag-anticipation","tag-planning-ahead","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"yoast_head":"\nDo You Have a Look Forward List? - Happy Simple Living<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We all need fun things to anticipate. 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