Everyday Joy Lists

Since so much emphasis is given to bucket lists, we sometimes lose sight of "everyday joy lists". Ready smiles, frequent hugs, joyful greetings, sincere appreciation, deserved compliments, unexpected treats, satisfying tasks, nature's beauty, amazing meals, marvelous memories, special celebrations, minute milestones, spontaneous laughter and lots of love provide daily joy. The bigger the daily joy list becomes, the more we are able to celebrate moments and create memories rather than always anticipating the future.

Anticipation

Anticipation is one of the marvelous joys of life.  The next three months are filled with so many big events that I'm eagerly anticipating: trips that we are making to visit with family and friends; trips family members are making to be with us; a friend's wedding; debutante balls, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and selecting a new CEO to lead one of Houston's leading nonprofits.

Fortunately, anticipation isn't just reserved for big events and projects.  We can add joy to our lives by creating things to look forward to each week: special meals with family and friends, reading a new book, watching a just released movie, scheduling time to complete a some day project, volunteering, starting a new project, visiting with those who are dear, pursuing a hobby or scheduling any activity that is fun or exciting.

Anticipation allows us to create joy in our lives rather than just engaging in the unfolding events of daily life.

Hopeful Anticipation

We are in the midst of an executive search for a non-profit leader.  The current CEO is terrific, but has chosen to retire.  We've carefully crafted a success profile for the search firm to identify necessary skills, abilities and experiences in a qualified leader.  Now we are in hopeful anticipation of a rich pool of superb candidates. 

When we have carefully prepared for an important task such as this, hopeful anticipation is a realistic and energizing force for the team responsible for taking the next steps.

Flash Foresight by Daniel Burrus with John David Mann

In Flash Foresight - How to See the Invisible and Do the Impossible by Daniel Burrus with John David Mann the authors provide terrific examples and describe in detail seven flash foresight triggers:

• Start with certainty - analyze hard trends to know what is coming
• Anticipate - base your strategies on what you know about the future
• Transform - accept technology-driven change and use it to advantage
• Take your biggest problem and skip it - focus clearly on your real v. perceived problem
• Go opposite - carefully examine what everyone else is doing and do what no one else is doing
• Redefine and reinvent - ask how can I redefine how we compete on various variables such as price, reputation, image, service, quality, design, speed, customer experience, innovation, knowledge
• Direct your future - allocate time each week to unplug from the present and explore your visible future

It's No Longer Looking Like Christmas

Though it's no longer looking like Christmas, I've tackled the un-decorating process this year with the same focus I embraced when decorating just after Thanksgiving.
We intentionally leave our Christmas decorations up through the 12th day of Christmas.  This also tends to sync with the date when Julia returns for the spring semester.  It's generally much more fun when we're making it look like Christmas than when we're taking down and storing decorations.  Decorating is another example of the benefit of anticipation.  Decorating marks the beginning of a season of celebration, fun and festivities. 

The house initially looks so bare for the first days after everything is restored to pre-Christmas order. This is especially the case when the Christmas tree is returned to the garage and the garlands are removed from the mantles but the furniture and accessories are not yet back in place.  I've changed my attitude this year to mark the un-decorating process as the preparation for a full, exciting year ahead.  It's taking longer than usual as I incorporate extra cleaning into the process.  I've adopted my Mom's lovely attitude of gratitude as I carefully wash each piece of decorative crystal.  When we take time to individually care for each item, we have the chance to really appreciate its beauty.  And I've discovered that washing the large living room windows is much easier before the furniture is back in place. 

Another plus is the beneficial exercise I've gotten with so very many trips to the third floor and up and down the ladder. 

Though the only thing that's changed is my attitude, un-decorating just isn't as gloomy this year. 

Jigsaw Puzzle Calendar

Yesterday was the equivalent of working a jigsaw puzzle as I tried to match open dates in multiple cities and venues to accommodate 3 recurring internal meetings, 25 customer events, my outside board commitments, Julia's and Gar's graduations, Alley season performances and Kinkaid varisty lacrosse games.  It's invigorating to already have so many exciting things to anticipate in 2011.

Anticipation

Ideally spending time with family and friends provides threefold enjoyment - anticipation, experiences and memories. Such was the case with my wonderful trip to D.C. this weekend to visit Julia. We short-change ourselves when we fail to savor all three aspects.

Tastes of Summer

There are so many things to love about summer - more relaxed time with the kids, swimming every day, vacations and food.  The tastes of summer in Arkansas are spectacular - Cave City watermelons, Anna's cucumbers, Daddy's corn, Aunt Irene's okra, and vine-ripened tomatoes and squash from many green thumbs throughout Batesville. 

When asked why the tomatoes in Arkansas are so much better than those we buy in Houston, I answered that the Arkansas produce is infused with love.  Whatever the special bounty, the growers are anxious to share with others who they know will delight in the flavors.  

Though it would be remarkable to capture and enjoy the tastes of summer throughout the year, we might take them for granted if they weren't seasonally available, joyfully anticipated and immediately enjoyed. 

Vacation Ready

My work and home life are never in better condition that when I'm preparing for vacation.  I consciously handle everything that I can imagine needing attention.  I work harder, plan more carefully and anticipate more fully to ensure that everything will be well executed.  It's impossible to stay in "vacation ready" mode, but concluding each week with a sense of completion and preparation is the next best thing.

Anticipation

Positive anticipation gives us energy.  Each year may include several of these positively anticipated events:

• Birthdays, especially a child's
• Holidays
• Weddings
• Births
• Graduations
• Vacations
• New Jobs
• Promotions
• New Homes
• New Cars
• Visits from loved ones or friends
• Awards
• Raises and Bonuses
• Successfully completing big projects

Optimism each day about the possibilities of new experiences, small victories and time with those we cherish can spread positive anticipation throughout the year.