How To Use Anticipation To Reclaim Yourself

“The anticipation of future happiness is worth more,” said Immanuel Kant, “than the present possession of it.” Kant’s highlighting of the power of the mind was correct. Years before science proved it.

Time Adventure

What’s your favorite time machine? The DeLorean? The Hot Tub? The fancy-schmancy, steam engine looking-thing, with clocks spinning all around H.G. Wells style? Choose. Hop in.

Their hair’s long and messy, their “clothes” are ragged up, their berry collection and hunting lifestyle’s missing a few updates… Let’s visit the hunter-gatherers.

Realistic Expectations

Note something: they always anticipate enjoyable things. Campfire dances and ooga booga rituals, the hunters coming with food, the forest crew coming with berries—everything’s delayed.

Now, if they didn’t expect these necessities for survival, they wouldn’t hunt, gather, dance, have sex, or do much of anything. They’d be like robots, stuck in place. They’d freeze like video game characters on terrible computers. They’d be dead meat.

Adventure’s Over

Listen. Humans have a tendency to live in a constant state of anticipation. You’re waiting for something all the time. If it’s not a succulent sandwich from the local deli, it’s the pizza slice. If it’s not a relaxing evening with mediocre wine, it’s a book.

Waiting and expecting make you human. The power to foresee, calculate, weigh pros and cons, is human-stuff. What’s pretty awesome is anticipation might actually give you more pleasure than the thing itself.

Expectations > Reality

Formally called the reward-prediction error, we tend to enjoy waiting more than doing. If you’re hosting a party, getting the drinks, DJ, and everything set up will be more fun than the dancing and alcohol. If you’re going on vacation, packing your bags and waiting might be more pleasureful than the all-inclusive-thing you paid thousands for.

Does this suck? No. There’s a misconception about the way dopamine works. The pleasure hormone? The feel-good chemical? Nu-uh—dopamine is the anticipation and motivation hormone.

Motivation Hormone

Yes, dopamine is associated with pleasure and reward. Only, the biggest wave of dopamine is secreted when expecting a reward. In line at the deli, packing for vacation, getting ready for the party, decorating the home for the holidays, then is when you feel it.

Look at our hunter-gatherer buddies. They always had to wait. There was no instant content, abundance of information, overwhelming libraries of entertainment, or anything alike. Food, sex, and rituals—delayed.

Old Brain, New World

Thus, the dopamine system evolved to motivate us, rather than to jolt us full of ecstasy. Conquering the sabretooth tiger was done this way. The printing press was invented this way. Rockets reached the moon this way.

Which brings us to our modern, efficiency-struck, Zoom and Slack, productivity-driven, ice mocha latte sipping, planet melting, supraphysiological media and food stimulation abundant society. An uncertain society.

Slow Brain, Quick World

Aha—here’s our problem. Our world? Overflowing with quick-fixes and immediate gratification on every corner. Our brain? Old, anticipatory brain.

Your brain isn’t made to handle split-second availability. The brain is a survival machine, which is why it grabs every opportunity—junk food, short-form content, movies, procrastination. Why we got fat, ugly, and dumb.

It Adapts

OK. The brain does it’s best. Subpar attention spans, an inability to work on long-term projects, low-grade ADHD, broken reward systems, and fat countries happen. F**k, brain, can’t you come up with a better solution?!

Anyway, then that whole miserable life, unproductive world, global socio-economic turmoil and whatever proceeds. You know these things.

The Alternative

Anticipate this. What if we use the dopamine circuitry and our old brain’s capabilities in the new world? What if we use a future reward for present actions to, well, get s**t done?

Especially for those with uncertain outcomes. Entrepreneurs with no guaranteed success. Athletes who can’t predict injuries and competition performance. Sales personnel who, even relying on all the psychological tricks in the book, can’t be certain of closing. Writers who fear their editor and can’t think about reader feedback…

Happy Future, Happy Present

Wouldn’t it be awesome to have something to look forward to? There’s a myriad of benefits. Dopamine release, relief from stressors, purpose and direction, a future-oriented perspective… You even get smarter, since anticipating is smart human stuff, an executive function.

Expecting a pleasant future is awesome and you know it. Choosing a destination, booking the hotel, planning what you’ll do… Purchasing tickets to that event or concert… Organizing a birthday party… Decorating the home, buying gifts, cooking the holiday meals… Signing off those final exams and graduating… Choosing a venue, selecting a dress, inviting everyone, and looking toward the day you two are joined by ring…

Big Or Small

Waiting for something marvelous makes us feel marvelous. Tim Ferriss, author of multiple bestselling books, plans at least four holidays in advance, utilizing this effect. Why shouldn’t you?

The anticipation doesn’t have to be a wedding, concert, vacation, holiday, or birthday. Small things—book, movie, or episode releases; time out with friends; family reunions—can shock your brain’s reward system and motivate.

Powerful Planning

So, who’s this for? You. Pilots, nurses, doctors, surgeons, digital nomads, programmers, writers, painters, motivational speakers, podcasters—surprising the fat electrode in your head can upgrade your work, make you happier, and keep your mind engaged on what’s important.

Plan that cheat meal. Plan when you’re next going out. Plan the vacation in advance. Plan your off days and leisure. Plan, so you have something to work for, something to look forward to and delight in.

Use It

Anticipate those health and fitness milestones. Anticipate how you’ll feel on stage, to perform best. Anticipate your client’s, patient’s, student’s, or child’s progress.

Anticipation, planning, and expectation can do more for you than you think. You can’t know how that vacation, wedding, fitness milestone, funding goal, or investment will go. You can’t know how successful your client’s progress, patient’s recovery, student’s learning, or child’s development will be.

The Take Home

But you can anticipate the positive. The light at the end of the tunnel. In the business, investment, or healthcare world, where success is volatile, and nothing is guaranteed, this can keep you from going off the rails.

To conclude, having something to look forward to is always great. A little boost, an extra fuel tank for when nothing’s going right. Because, rarely do we get support when we most need it.