“Looking forward to…”
I see this phrase mostly in emails from work: “Looking forward to receiving your answer/ to our meeting/our conference call, etc.”. Most of the time, the person writing it doesn't really mean it. It's just a polite way to end an email.
You also use it for stuff that really matter to you, but how often do you do it?
Having something to look forward to is strongly linked with happiness. Looking forward to an upcoming trip is the most common example. You enjoy even the planning and the packing. Work does not seem that bad anymore, knowing that you will soon be on holiday, sightseeing and enjoying a different culture. It's easier to get up in the morning. You feel relaxed and you have not even started your trip.
But after you come back to the mundane, you feel there are not so many exciting things to look forward to in the near future. But that's exactly where you`re wrong. It should not be on a short-term.
There will ALWAYS be things to look forward to. They may not be big, important or exciting, but they could bring you joy, the kind of joy that is simple and that kids experience on a daily basis.
Looking forward to the warm weather, after enduring several months of snow and cold rain. Just start picturing yourself wearing a summer outfit, taking an afternoon stroll in the park. It will make you smile.
If you are not a summer person, then look forward to the first snow of the year. Imagine you are watching it from your windowpane while enjoying a hot drink.
Look forward to seeing a loved one, to catching up with them. If you`re feeling down, call your friends, ask them out, make plans with them. They probably feel the same way too; some might not even realise how much they actually need to go out. It`s a win-win situation!
We are so caught up in our jobs, deadlines and all sorts of errands, that we forget to enjoy the small things. It might sound as a cliché, yet there’s no better way to put it!
Here is a list with things you should start looking forward to more often (besides catching up on sleep on the weekends):
- starting a new hobby
- enjoying nature
- April`s blooming lilacs —which makes me think of T.S.Eliot`s verse: Now that lilacs are in bloom/She has a bowl of lilacs in her room
- the intoxicating smell of Tilia flowers in May
- the warmth of a summer dawn
- making someone smile
- reading a new book
- learning a new language — just because you find it beautiful and intriguing
- disconnecting yourself from social media
- writing something just for the sake of it
- discovering new places in your town
- wandering
- stressing less
- enjoying your life
Novelty will always stir up interest, but you can find it where you expect less. Right there in front of you.
What do you look forward to?
