Anticipation is the greatest joy

I love having something to look forward to. We all do. So why don’t I plan more things to look forward to?

I heard someone say “Anticipation is the greatest joy” yesterday and went hunting for more quotes, because I love a good quote. Here’s a fun one:

Schedule something to look forward to. Anticipation is like 401K matching for happiness. Double the happiness.

Eric Barker

But I don’t know if that even takes it far enough. Anticipation is more than double the happiness. Anticipation is most of the happiness.

The pleasure isn’t in doing the thing, the pleasure is in planning it.

John Green

That’s more like it.

I need to schedule things to look forward to. I need to build anticipation into my life. My new weekly habit is to plan something exciting every week. At any given moment, if I’m not looking forward to something, then I’m robbing myself of easy joy.

That sanguine expectation of happiness which is happiness itself.

Jane Austen