Back to the Future and Anticipation

Back to the Future II is a brilliant film in every way.

It was released in 1989 and promised us flying cars in the year 2015, the year Marty and Doc arrive in the future. I won't give any more away for the 1% of readers who haven't seen the movie yet.

(Please clear all your plans and watch it immediately if you are a member of that group!).

Obviously, 2015 has come and gone, and we didn't get flying cars. I think most of us are thankful for this.

But, isn't it so interesting how our anticipation of the future and reality are rarely the same?

We may not have flying cars. But, we have all kinds of new technology that only existed in the Star Trek universe thirty years ago. That's still pretty exciting. And we've managed to live without flying cars this long.

The same can be said of music lessons. We may anticipate becoming a rock star next week. We may anticipate that it will be easy and require little effort.

It may happen, or it may not. Actually, it probably won't.

But does that mean it isn't worth pursuing? Does that mean we should throw in the towel if reality was a little different from what we anticipated?

Lewis Black, the famously vulgar stand-up comic, has a hilarious riff on anticipation.

He tells us that anticipation is always the high point - as good as it's going to get - and then it's downhill from there. If you have four minutes to spare, this video is entirely worth it.

Lewis's inappropriate-for-children advice is this. When you're planning a vacation, get excited with anticipation. Talk about how great it's going to be. Pack up the family in the car and head to the airport with glee.

And then...

Just turn the car around and go home. The most exciting part has been lived. Why ruin it?

A hilarious take on anticipation. But in reality, that's certainly not the best solution.

So, what to do?

Let's search for that sweet spot. Similar to the Flow state.

Revel in the excitement and anticipation of new adventures, be it music lessons, a trip, the future, anything.

At the same time, reframe your expectations with an understanding that it may not be exactly as you pictured. Different is okay.

But, don't shortchange yourself with a disappointing experience either. Bad is bad.

Follow these rules and, as the slightly confusing ending of Back to the Future III tells us, you can make the future anything you want it to be.