ONE QUESTION

Are you facing your challenges based on what they truly are or how you wish they were?

ONE THING TO PONDER

People struggle with the thought that it’s possible for things to be both painful and empowering. Just because it hurts doesn’t mean it’s bad. It often means you’re on the right path.

ONE PERSPECTIVE

Unrealistic expectations cause more suffering than nearly any challenge or problem itself will. That suffering will be in perpetuity until you choose to shift your perspective.

We tend to hold unrealistic expectations of:

• People

• Outcomes

• Of what is ideal, not true

It’s very normal in today’s society to set high expectations, to set big goals, and to be inspired to do something meaningful and valuable.

None of those things are inherently bad, in fact, they can be very positive.

What isn’t helpful, however, is the sheer inaccuracy of those high expectations being met without struggle, setbacks, or failures.

What happens when you get up, you get ready for your day, expecting everything to go perfectly? By 8:30am, you get punched in the mouth with something you didn’t expect, and you’re frustrated out of the gate because of that ‘expectation’ of perfection.

You throw your hands up and start complaining, and your day spirals from there.

Now my question, did you have a bad day or did you have a bad 5 minutes that you milked the whole day?

Our expectation of being able to do something big, something significant or of value is being inaccurately fed by highlight reels on social media.

We see outcomes, we don’t see the work.

We see the awards, we don’t see the self doubt.

We see the money, but completely miss the 10 years of sacrifice.

Inaccurate and unrealistic expectations are damaging and cause unnecessary frustrations. Why?

• They tend to create unrealistic timelines which leads to quitting or changing directions before results have the time to show up. The person constantly changing directions isn’t interested in going anywhere meaningful.

• They lead to a feeling of failure far before you’ve done enough work to even evaluate the effectiveness of your activities.

Wisdom comes from your ability to hold practical optimism - Optimism that things will work over time but there will be moments of struggle and challenge.  

Expect challenges.

Expect internal struggles.

Expect your mind to tell you to quit. And while you expect all of that, trust yourself that you will emerge on the other side stronger and more confident.

These are healthy expectations and they create resilience, tenacity, patience and trust.

Big and long term results require small and consistent actions.

I’m convinced small things lead to big things.

Actions that feel so insignificant that you wonder if it’s even making a difference.

It’s making one more phone call. Posting one more piece of content. Working out for 10 more minutes.

The need for instant gratification and the expectation for fast results is damaging our self-esteem and self-confidence. We put in a little work and expect a big outcome. It’s not healthy, for ourselves or our younger generations.

If you want to do something meaningful, think decades, not months.

What would happen if you knew your path, showed up consistently and then simply had patience for things to evolve?

That is where the magic happens, and I hope you get to experience that magic!

Onward and upward.

PODCAST

Elizabeth Gilbert- How to Set Strong Boundaries, Overcome Purpose Anxiety, and Find Your Deep Inner Voice

The Tim Ferriss Show

BOOK RECOMMENDATION

Leading with Noble Purpose: How to Create a Tribe of True Believers
by Lisa Earle McLeod