From the author: How do we get into our inner “waiting room”? Is it useful to spend time there? Why “buy a ticket”? Expectations and the present Expectations control our lives. They pull us out of the present moment and take us into a completely different reality. We begin to anticipate, sometimes even fantasize about what will happen. Sometimes this is not a fantasy at all, but an almost ready-made scenario for some part of our life. In this case, we know so well what is going to happen and how that we can start talking in advance about the details of what is coming. For example, celebrating a new year or another birthday with family. Meeting with old acquaintances or colleagues. We intuitively know who will say what and how, how to react to stories, whether or not to laugh at jokes, what questions to ask. An event that has not yet happened evokes a significant emotional response. It’s not for nothing that they say that the expectation of a result is more important than the result itself. Especially when it comes to some significant events. We wait for an exam, an interview, a planned or random meeting with someone we like, while often losing our vigilance about what is happening in the present. Sometimes this even brings some kind of benefit. For example, in the event of a collision with some routine trouble. Captivated by the future, we simply will not pay attention to criticism addressed to us or look with a smile after the train we missed. In this case, expectations perform a kind of “anesthetic” function. We feel literally protected, realizing that we don’t care about the difficulties of the present now, because very soon something more important and meaningful awaits us. At the same time, it does not necessarily have to be positive. “Waiting room” Anyone who has ever been to a train station or airport knows what a waiting room is. We can say that this is a space kindly provided to those who have free time. This space-time definition is missing one important point. This is a necessity. We often find ourselves in the waiting room against our will. We are forced to be there and spend time waiting for our train, bus, plane or train. I think it’s unlikely that anyone would specifically want to get into such a hall. However, often the metaphor of the “waiting room” represents how we build our lives. We find ourselves in this intermediate zone between the present and the future, only this time it is completely voluntary. In addition, we still do not know the date or time of the flight we are waiting for. We only know its name: “new life”, “new job”, “happy relationship”, “health”, “building”, “wealth” and many others that attract our attention. We eagerly take our place in the waiting room. And at this moment “life” begins! More precisely, her virtual residence. This future “will happen someday.” There we will be better, calmer, happier, more pleasant. These thoughts warm the soul and create confidence that everything will be fine. True, it is unknown when this will happen and how long to wait. It will just happen. We need to wait and believe. And although in this case expectations perfectly perform their anesthetic function in the present, we often do not notice any signs of the approaching desired future. And we continue to remain in our internal waiting room. What's the matter? “Buy a ticket!” I remember an old and very bearded joke about how the boy deceived the conductor. Remember that heartbreaking story where the boy bought a ticket and didn’t go? In the case of the internal waiting room, there is also some kind of deception. The only difference is that we are waiting for our cherished flight, deliberately or unconsciously forgetting to buy a ticket for it. “Buying a ticket” means making a choice, setting a specific deadline for ourselves and taking the first real step towards our goal. This step involves the beginning of the realization of your dream, when it turns from an abstract fantasy into a concrete program of action. By purchasing a ticket, we accept responsibility and give