One must internalize and contemplate how wonderful the messianic era will be. This is the way to fill a person with confidence in the redemption and anticipation of its arrival, so that he will desire it with all his heart.

One has only to instill in his heart the belief in the principle of the coming of the redeemer, which is one of the thirteen principles of faith. He should consider the salvation, the goodness, and the perfection, both spiritual and physical, which will come to the Jewish people in those days. Then he will desire it with great yearning, love, and devotion, saying, “If only the redemption would come soon and in my days!” He will be like a person who has a beloved and whose soul is bound to hers. All of his desire is for her, and all of his thoughts are upon her, without interruption. Such should be his deep desire for those days [i.e., for the messianic era], to attain perfection of the body and the soul, and to emulate his Creator by understanding the hidden mysteries of His Torah. In this way he will be considered as someone who anticipates the redemption all of his life. (Rabbi Eliyahu HaKohen, Shevet Musar 51)