In
6th grade I was told I was a disappointment by a teacher at Linkhorn
Park Elementary School. The year before that same teacher had the pleasure of teaching my older brother Richard. You see, she had unrealistic expectations that
I would be just like my brother.
That
moment occurred 45 years ago and I can see and feel it to this day. I truly did not know how to respond.
I
hold the opinion that having expectations for yourself is much better
than exercising those you may have for others.
How
many marriages and relationships fail as a result of expectations that will not
or should not ever be met? Perhaps I would even extend that to expectations we
all place on our son’s and daughter’s lives.
Everyone
has their own life to live and it’s damn tough enough. When someone chooses to place expectations
on us for one thing or another, while well intended, can destroy the journey.
William Shakespeare
stated it very well, “expectation is the root of all heartbreak.”
In
businesses over the years I have watched managers and owners inflict sales forecasts
and matrix that could never be attained.
They would simply use old formulas that no longer apply to a changing environment.
I love the wisdom of Wayne Dyer, “If you are
always striving you are never arriving.” No one can predict the future and we all know
you can’t change the past. The only cool
place that you can make the magic happen is by observing what’s going on right
now!
I
listen to Minute with Maxwell (John Maxwell) most mornings and interestingly enough his
word yesterday was “expectation” and he told the story of an old man watching a
young man fish. He notices that the boy
throws back all the big fish and only keeps the small ones. When
asked about this strange practice the boy told the old man that he only had a 7”
frying pan. The lesson is; don’t limit your
own expectations go out and get a bigger frying pan!
Just
don’t use that ‘frying pan” to beat up on others!
Keep
your expectations to yourself and focus your energies on making the environment
better for all folks to meet and exceed their own expectations!
NobleOne
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