Satisfaction in Setting the Right Expectations

Expectations are an essential piece of human emotion.  We all have them, and to a large extent, expectations control our ability to perceive life around us.  We expect bad traffic on our morning commute, and then, once at the office, we expect the break room coffee to be absolutely horrible.  Soon after, expecting our day to be train wrecked by some fire drill, before hitting bad traffic on the way home. Often all the way through dinnertime, expectations shape the way our day unfolds.  The same depressing thought process is often said for starting a new change in life, whether it be a new job, business, relationship or relocation. Expectations are first on the scene – like a shameful news-reporter trying to get a key story.

These feelings of expectation can be crippling, and often times it’s not even our expectations, it’s the expectations of others.  Whether your co-workers, family or friends expected you to have been promoted already, get your degree sooner, earned more money by now, had that business started, and so on.  When combined with our own rough expectations, the results can be disastrous.

The silver lining is, if you can use those expectations to your advantage, your odds of success increase exponentially.  Walt Disney once said, “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”  The courage put forth, is often the difference between positive and negative results.  When expectations are high, there is a tendency to feel a letdown if things don’t go as planned.  On the flipside, when expectations are low; motivation is usually absent, which has subsequent problems as well.  I’ve personally struggled significantly in the area of expectations.  At this point in our minds, the “I should just quit” meter is going crazy. We consider throwing in the towel in the face of adversity, but that is another post.

Deciphering good expectations from negative and detrimental ones is a difference-maker.  Use some expectations as positive encouragement, and other negative expectations as a benchmark.  Working hard to ensure that those negative expectations never materialize. Be your own filter for those expectations, but be hard on yourself.  The dreams can come true, but there is courageous pursuit involved.