Richard Branson anticipated his 1.5-hour flight to space for 17 years. He announced his intention to make a space plane in 2004. Jeff Bezos founded Blue Origin in 2000 with the goal of human spaceflight. Recently he spent just 11 minutes in space. Is it the 20 years of anticipation or the 11-minute achievement that provides the most value?
On a much smaller scale I am heading back to Kenya for an African safari. Originally it was planned for last fall. I have spent 18 months preparing for this. We will be in Kenya about 2 weeks. We are hoping to catch the tail end of the great migration and relax at the beach. Along with the anticipation I have anxiety. I am working to move that to excitement. The last trip was a highlight in my life.
It seems the older I get, the less adventurous I become and I never considered myself adventurous to begin with. After my divorce 30 years ago, I made a decision not to be a bystander, to step up and get involved in life. I took Nike’s tag line “just do it” to heart. I didn’t want to miss out on life. As a result, I left my little safe haven and now experience all the emotions. It feels like a roller coaster at times.
Today I am working on changing my internal story to turn my worry into excitement. I have a choice to how I feel. As I work at it a little each day the anxiety will decrease and the excitement will be there. I want to enjoy the anticipation as well as the vacation. Life is a journey I intend to enjoy – both the anticipation and the event itself.
Have a great summer!
Mary Guldan Lindstrom, CPA
