December 2007 Newsletter
Online Issue # 17

Practice Page

Here are a few more ideas for you to think about, write about, talk about, wonder about—on your own or with a friendly companion.

In my classes, many people discover that they really enjoy naming and making lists, as long as the lists don't involve work they will need to do. You might be wondering, what other kinds of lists are there beside the to-do variety? Here's where it gets interesting.

How about a list of Anticipation? This list might contain things you love to think about and anticipate. If you take a few minutes to begin jotting down whatever occurs to you, who knows what will happen or what you'll discover?

You might have so many thoughts rushing forward that it will be difficult to get them all written down. If this happens, your list might end up quite long. Maybe, you'll be surprised that your list contains just a few items and you can't think of anything else, even though you return to it several times.

It's not that a long list is right or better than a short list. What matters is your reaction to what's on, or not on, your list. You could be thrilled to know that there are four or five, or several dozen things in your life that you love to anticipate. Or, you could notice that it's been a long time since you've actually done any of the things that you wrote on your list, regardless of its length. Some of you might reconnect with the fact that for you anticipation is actually your favorite part of many of the things you've listed. Maybe by now your thoughts are stuck in a loop, trying to remember the lyrics to the song Anticipation by Carly Simon. Anything can, and does, happen in these list experiments.

There's an easy way for you to personalize this experiment by making up your own appealing, possible names for a list about anticipation. Here are a few examples:

101 Things to Anticipate
Things I Will be Anticipating and Doing in December
What I Want to Anticipate and Do in My Life
My Wonderful List of Anticipation for 2008
Places I Anticipate Visiting Before I Turn 35 (or 50 or 75)
What I Anticipate Learning
What I'm Presently Anti-cipating (whatever that means)
What I Anticipate Cultivating
What I Like to Anticipate, More Than I Like to Do
How I Prefer To Anticipate My Future

When you run out of ideas, select a list name that captures your attention and begin to write down your responses to it. Simply jot down whatever occurs to you, without worrying if it even belongs on the list. No judgment is needed. This is an experiment and a warm-up.

Now, switch gears and take some time to consider one new list that you want to create and pay attention to during the upcoming year. Don't focus on something you feel you should do. Allow this to be something that calls you or pulls you forward. It's probably not about anticipation, because you just read about that idea and it was my example. It might be about people you want to spend less time with, obligations that are wearing you out, lifestyle adjustments you're excited to be considering, what you want to add to (or remove from) your life.... The options are unending.

Whatever you decide to focus on, check first to see whether your current focus is more positive or more negative. If you're thinking of the list, People I Want to Drop (from next year's calendar), you might notice a distinctly negative feeling around that list. Try instead to focus on the positive side of that same idea, which might be, People I Want to See (on next year's calendar). That twist will naturally increase time energy for the people you want to see, thereby reducing time energy for those you prefer not to see or to see less of, without it being a big deal. Here is something you can easily experiment with: how does my list shift my life?

So, give it a try. Have fun with it. Be creative. Keep it a secret, or get someone else involved. Do a list-of-the-month in 2008, or a list-of-the-week. Inspire yourself.

Whatever you do, let this experiment introduce a new energy and momentum into your life and your process. Think of this as a gift you give to yourself. Who knows where it will lead or what you'll discover?


Laurie Mattila
© December 2007

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