Notes To My Younger Self:

You will grow to learn that anticipating can lead to angst and wasted energy on events that may not come to fruition. But also be open to the fact that anticipating can sometimes be a productive and useful tool. If your anticipating is less like expecting negative events to happen and more like strategizing, isn’t it possible that your planning could make it easier for you to be in the moment and enjoy yourself?

Think about your triggers—acts or words that distract you from enjoying yourself. Then consider the situations where your triggers get pulled. Is there anything you could do to get in front of those dynamics?

As a pilot, anticipating will be a very important and necessary part of your job. Positive strategizing for surprises in flight is a mindset, I’m guessing, every passenger who boards a plane is grateful for. The trick is to ask yourself this question. Is your anticipating out of fear, worry, angst, or the pull to control outcomes? Or are you strategizing a way to prepare for dynamics that drag you away from enjoying the moment?

E.L. Chappel author of Spirit Dance/Storm Makers/Coming very soon: The Surge

Anticipating is useful for things you can handle. Not for worrying about things that are out of your hands.

aka The Glamorous Wife