Word-Of-the-Week #666: Expectations
May 11, 2017 by Susan Clarke
Expectations – feelings or beliefs about how someone or something will be.
How realistic are your expectations? Do you expect that everyone should act or think the same way you do? Have you ever given up on a goal because it took longer than you thought it should?
This is the follow up to last week’s WOW from the Chicago Tribune article by Amy Morin, “Mental muscle – Successful people don’t do these things.” To Recap Amy wrote, “Everyone engages in habits that drain them of mental strength from time to time, but being aware of those bad habits is the first step toward giving them up.
Here are 8 more things mentally strong people don’t do:
- They don’t fear taking calculated risks. Just because something feels scary doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s risky. Balance your emotions with logic so you can calculate risks wisely. Taking the right risks will challenge you to reach your greatest potential.
- They don’t dwell on the past. Reflecting on the past is healthy, but dwelling on it keeps you stuck. The only time you can change your behavior is now. Stay present in the moment so you can take action.
- They don’t make the same mistakes over and over. Put your energy into learning from your mistakes — not covering them up. Acknowledge your missteps and commit to doing better next time.
- They don’t resent other people’s success. Comparing yourself to other people leads to resentment. And over time, resentment can turn into bitterness. The only person you should compare yourself to is the person you were yesterday.
- They don’t give up after the first failure. Failure is proof that you’re pushing yourself to your limits, but just because you failed once doesn’t mean you are a failure. Turn failure into an opportunity to try again, with more wisdom than before.
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- They don’t fear alone time. Setting aside time to be alone with your thoughts every day can be a challenge in today’s fastpaced world, but reflecting on your progress and making plans to create the kind of life you want to live is key to reaching your greatest potential.
- They don’t feel the world owes them anything. You’ll never find out how much you have to give if you’re too busy keeping track of what you think you should get. An entitled attitude will cause you to become a passenger, rather than the driver, in your own life.
- They don’t expect immediate results. Although technology gives us instant gratification in many ways, real change takes time. Expecting to reach your goals overnight will cause you to give up far too soon. Look at your goals as a marathon.
Of course, giving up your bad habits is only half the battle. You also need to exercise your mental muscles if you want to grow stronger, but your mental fitness routine will be much more effective once you give up the bad habits that are holding you back.
This week’s focus is on expectations. How often have you been disappointed because things didn’t go the way you thought they should? How good are you at learning from your mistakes? Are you truly supportive of other people’s successes? What one bad habit would serve you to give up?
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