On this journey called life, one lesson we all need to learn is that our expectations hold great power! Whatever we expect to find and experience in life is usually what we get. Why is that? Mainly, it’s because those are the things we focus on.
When you expect success and focus on it, your world will rearrange itself accordingly. On the other hand, if you focus on the possibility of failure while working toward success, you will send your brain mixed signals. This means that your efforts to succeed will be negated because you are subconsciously expecting to fail.
3 Ways to expect success
There are many ways that your expectations can affect your ability to reach your goals. Here are three important areas you should be aware of:
1) Attitude – Your expectations affect your attitude. It’s amazing how much attitude has to do with success. A negative or cynical attitude is enough to prevent you from giving your best effort and attention to your goals, which will lead to lukewarm results.
If you want to experience dynamic results, you’ve got to have a dynamic attitude. You’ve got to be fired up, passionate, and committed to your goals as if your life depended on achieving them. You should expect success and nothing less!
2) Action – Your expectations affect your willingness to take action. Not only will a negative expectation taint your attitude, it will also determine the intensity and persistence of your actions. If you expect things to go wrong, they usually will (Murphy’s Law). If you expect to experience an unfavorable outcome, you’ll see little point in working on your goal as diligently as you could. A halfhearted effort can only yield mediocre results at best.
On the other hand, when you’re motivated and inspired about your goals and expect them to produce outstanding results, your determination will skyrocket and you’ll move forward in a deliberate way. When you expect success you’ll be filled with eager anticipation so there will be no reason to hesitate or procrastinate.
3) Interaction – Finally, your expectations affect the way you interact with other people. People can sense a negative attitude even if you don’t say a word. If you go into any potential partnership or opportunity with negative expectations, your potential partners are not going to be inspired by your attitude. They’ll probably view you as an ineffective person who lacks confidence. As a result, they may not want to get involved.
But a confident, positive person with a clear focus and solid plan of action is the kind of person that everybody wants to work with! Not only will you feel better by expecting the best, your potential partners and benefactors will be inspired by your vision and determination. When you expect success they can feel it and will be anxious to work with you.
What do you personally expect?
You expect success, right? Either that or you want to learn to expect success. Either way you are way ahead of the curve because you are focused in a positive direction. The next step is to take decisive action while maintaining the right mindset.
Why is that so important?
Because as vital as it is to expect success, nothing happens until we take action. We must back our expectations with action to successfully produce our intended results. Action is the muscle of expectation.
Do you ever find yourself expecting one thing but focusing on another?
Think. Grow. Live!
Roland N. Gilbert
Roland works one-on-one – via phone and face-to-face – and with MasterMind Groups. Through Couples Coaching Roland helps clients communicate better, find the love they want, and create relationships of significance.
Contact Roland at 800-974-3692 or rgilbert@perennialgrowth.com to determine if coaching is right for you. www.perennialgrowth.com
