This is a brilliant article, Eric.

You do unhappy time travel all too frequently.

When you are overcome with regret, you’re turning your attention to negative elements of the past. When you worry, you’re thinking about an unpleasant future. But we can also use mental time travel to get the best out of life.

The three ways to time travel:

1. Anticipate: Schedule something fun with a friend. When you’re down, look forward to it.
2. Be Nostalgic: Keep a picture of a loved one in your pocket or reminisce with that person.
3. Savor: Next time you’re doing something you enjoy, focus your attention on it. Don’t time travel — be fully present.

Why else are these three great? They give you hope.

They give you hope for the future, they remind you of hope from the past, and they reveal the hope present all around you right now.

That’s not a silly Hallmark card platitude. There’s science behind hope.

Research shows your level of hope predicts future achievement better than intelligence, grades or personality. It actually predicts law school GPA better than the LSAT.

We all need hope. And a little mental time travel is a simple cheap way to bring more of that special feeling into all of our lives. As Allan K. Chalmers once said:

The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.