Are you expecting?

Expectations are often the incubators of our outcomes. The seed of an idea gets planted in the soil of our expectations and we then start making plans to make this idea a reality. Our expectations can be a healthy place to nourish an idea or it can be a harmful place that destroys an idea before it’s born. 

 The expectations we have help us to see what is possible.  High expectations lift the limits off our creativity and lead us into the realm of possibility while low expectations limit our options and our ability to be creative.  When we think only the bare minimum is possible then we subconsciously work to make what we expect come true.  

In preparation for a high stakes meeting, I recently found myself bypassing the possibility of a favorable outcome and mentally preparing for how I would handle the fallout of a mediocre or negative outcome.  

 My husband asked me if I was excited for the meeting and I told him I didn’t have any expectations one way or the other. To which he made the simple comment, “I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing.”  Then walked away. That one comment triggered this little voice in the back of my mind that said, “be careful what you expect, you just might find it.”  

Ouch.  I was not expecting that. But I do have enough life experience to know that I usually find what I’m looking for. When I realized what I was doing I stopped immediately and started to figure out what was triggering this negative thought process.  I was prepared for the meeting. I had put myself in a position for a positive outcome.  There really was no reason for the negative thought process except my expectations were low.  In an attempt to protect my heart from the possibility of disappointment I was choosing to have no expectations.  

So, now I had a choice to make. Do I risk the vulnerability of disappointment for the possibility of something amazing?   I wanted this meeting to go well and I realized that if I didn’t cultivate excitement and change my expectations I would ultimately self-sabotage. This is one of those times I’m grateful I had the realization before the event so I had a chance to change my behavior and the outcome. Retrospect is a lot less fun. 

Today I’m on a plane flying home after a wonderful meeting. I got everything I was expecting and that expectation gave birth to a beautiful outcome. 

 So the question today, is are you expecting?  Maybe you need to do an ultrasound on yourself to see what, if anything you are going to give birth to.