I'm Jessica Acevedo, executive producer of the hit Netflix documentary series, Dancing for the Devil, The 7M TikTok Cult.
And I'm Clea Gray, former member of 7M Films and Shekinah Church.
And we're the host of the new podcast, Forgive Me For I Have Followed.
Together, we'll be diving even deeper into the unbelievable stories behind 7M Films and Shekinah Church.
Listen to Forgive Me For I Have Followed on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.
Good morning. This is Laura.
Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is that when you've got something special on the horizon, build up the excitement.
That way you can maximize your enjoyment of the anticipation and the experience itself.
Over the summer, I went to the Olivia Rodrigo concert with my daughter.
We had a blast. My daughter is an Olivia Rodrigo fan and knows her music pretty well.
I was not particularly familiar with Olivia Rodrigo before the summer.
I knew she was popular, especially with teen girls, but that's about all I knew.
So for a few weeks before the concert, I gave myself a crash course in her music.
I listened to her songs any time I was in the car.
I looked up the playlist for her concert and made sure to focus on those songs in particular, so they became familiar.
By the time the concert rolled around, I, too, was an Olivia Rodrigo fan, and I could sing along with most of her songs.
I had way more fun at the concert than I would have had if the concert itself had been my first exposure to her music.
I think you might find the same thing to be true.
So when you have something special coming up, like a concert, a trip, a party, a fun outing, make a point of actively anticipating it.
When you build up the excitement, everything becomes, well, more exciting.
There are a number of ways that you can do this.
If you're going to a performing arts event, listen to recordings so you get a taste of what's in store.
This is true for music, but also plays, operas, or dance performances.
You can watch those.
Reading a play before you see it performed is another way to enhance your enjoyment.
You'll be aware of the subtle word play or foreshadowing in a way you wouldn't be if you were just trying to take it in.
Relatedly, before going to a museum, find out about the collection, get to know the artists or topics the museum explores.
If you're going to a city you've never been to, read about the city, talk with friends who have been there recently, and identify attractions you'd like to see.
In addition to planning what you'll do while you're visiting the new place, you can read novels, see movies, and listen to music from or about the place.
This isn't particularly hard to do.
You can search books by Montreal authors or movies set in Paris, and come up with lots of ways to encounter a place before you get there.
Even if you are not personally responsible for planning an event, try to get some of the details ahead of time.
That way you can be intentional about anticipating your experience.
Preview the menu for a special restaurant.
Look at the RSVP list to a party if you know it's visible, and then maybe email a friend who's also on there to say how excited you are.
Look at photos of Hawaii's beaches and flowers before you get on a plane to go there.
You can also ask anybody who will participate in an experience with you what they are looking forward to.
Now this seems straightforward enough, but I suspect one reason people might not try to build up the excitement is a bit of pessimism.
When we are really looking forward to something, it can feel devastating to not have it happen, so we don't want to jinx ourselves.
But there is some research finding that anticipation accounts for the lion's share of any happiness associated with an event.
Your dinner will be great, but it will only take about 90 minutes.
You can look forward to the dinner for weeks, so most of the pleasure is in the anticipation.
That means that even if the event doesn't happen, by anticipating it, you will have gotten most of the pleasure out of it that you ever would.
Perhaps that sounds crazy, but if you try adopting that mindset, you might find yourself feeling a little more philosophical about the things that do get cancelled.
How do you build up the excitement for special events?
You can let me know at lauravandercam .com.
In the meantime, this is Laura, thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of our time.
Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at lauravandercam .com.
Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia.
For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
I'm Jessica Acevedo, executive producer of the hit Netflix documentary series, Dancing for the Devil, The 7M TikTok Cult.
And I'm Clea Gray, former member of 7M Films and Shekinah Church.
And we're the host of the new podcast, Forgive Me For I Have Followed.
Together, we'll be diving even deeper into the unbelievable stories behind 7M Films and Shekinah Church.
Listen to Forgive Me For I Have Followed on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
For decades, the mafia had New York City in a stranglehold, with law enforcement seemingly powerless to intervene.
It uses terror to extort people.
But the murder of Carmi Galante marked the beginning of the end.
It sent the message that we can prosecute these people.
Listen to Law and Order Criminal Justice System on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
