Curious about Anticipation: What Are You Anticipating? How Is Anticipation Working in Your Life?

Definition of Anticipation: The act of anticipating, taking up, placing, or considering something beforehand, or before the proper time in natural order. Hasty notion; intuitive preconception.

“An intense anticipation itself transforms possibility into reality; our desires being often but precursors of the things which we are capable of performing.” - Samuel Smiles, Scottish writer

I chose anticipation for this week’s blog, because my whole weekend has been filled with anticipation. You may be wondering what anticipation. It is actually my anticipation of the beautiful garden I have been planning, shopping for, and doing all the work that will make it happen.

Even though I live in an apartment complex, I enjoy a large garden outside the side door to my building. When I moved here five years ago, I mentioned to the manager that the only thing I was going to miss from my former apartment was my roof garden. For my “housewarming gift” he had the garden dug up. And, I have been gardening ever since.

I also know that there can be down sides to anticipation as the Roman statesman, Seneca, points out, “Expecting is the greatest impediment to living. In anticipation of tomorrow, it loses today.” Yes, if we are always living in the future, we will lose the beauty of the present day.

This also speaks to looking forward with exciting anticipation to events and travel. How many times has the anticipation been greater than the event or trip? But, the anticipation can also be rewarding. And, what about visualization of a goal or intention?

For example, the English actress, Anna Neagle has a completely different take, “But if we learn to think of it as anticipation, as learning, as growing, if we think of the time we spend waiting for the big things of life as an opportunity instead of a passing of time, what wonderful horizons open out!”

Here are a few more of the interesting quotations I found:

• “If pleasures are greatest in anticipation, just remember that this is also true of trouble.” -Elbert Hubbard, American writer
• “Such is the state of life, that none are happy but by the anticipation of change: the change itself is nothing; when we have made it, the next wish is to change again.” - Samuel Johnson, English author
• “He who matures early lives in anticipation.” - Theodor Adorno, German philosopher
• “Wisdom consists of the anticipation of consequences.” - Norman Cousins, American editor
• “There is no more respected or influential forum in the field of journalism than the New York Times. I look forward, with great anticipation, to contributing to its op-ed page.” - Ted Koppel, American journalist
• “Conscience in most men, is but the anticipation of the opinions of others.” - Jeremy Taylor, English clergyman
• “I have good anticipation, and good reaction to the ball because I've played so many matches in my life.” - Martina Hingis, Czechoslovakian athlete

So, what do you think of anticipation? I would love to hear from you.