Choose To Be Your Best
There are no limits in life on how much you can achieve our how far you can go, except for the limits and restricts you put on yourself. The unfortunate part is many people do not see these restrictions and thus never understand why their life seems to never get any better. I have heard it said time and time again, “It doesn’t matter what I say or do nothing ever gets better for me, and it seems to be getting worse by the minute.” Obviously this is not a very positive outlook on life, but I am sure you too have someone in your life with this type of perspective. Many people don’t realize that what they say is true, if they claim it. This is known as the Law of Expectation.
Simply, the Law of Expectations says that whatever you expect and claim, confidently, becomes your reality. When you expect with confidence that good things will happen to you, they usually do. On the other hand, if you expect negative things to happen or constantly put yourself down, then your outcome will usually be a negative one.
The expectations we have play a key role in our ultimate outcome, but they also have a significant effect on the people around us. What we expect from those around us directly affects our attitude toward them. On the same note, the people around us tend to mirror our attitudes right back at us, whether they are positive or negative, good or bad.
Dr. Robert Rosenthal of the University of California – Riverside, has spent more than 40 years studying the idea that one’s expectations for the behavior of another, can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Rosenthal tells in his book “Pygmalion in the Classroom”, case after case where teachers were told that a student or class, was extremely intelligent and expected to be top achievers in academic performance in the upcoming year. One thing you need to know is that these students were randomly chosen from the school population, none of them were special in any specific way other then the fact that the teacher believed that the student or students were exceptional and expected them to excel. These “special” students performed at much higher level than other students in the same or similar classes.
So the question now becomes what can we do to change our expectations and ultimately our success outcome?
1. Always expect the best. This means in every situation and from everyone around you. Do not go into work tomorrow and expect to have a problem with that co-worker or employee you butt heads with everyday. Expect that today will be a great day, a problem free day, that runs smoothly.
2. Be “Polly Positive”! Some of the best managers, entrepreneurs, and salespeople alive today expect the best out of a situation before they face it. If you say it’s going to be a bad sales call, chances are it will be. You have to enter every situation with a positive attitude. Do not let the rain outside or the flat tire on your car change your positive outlook on the day. Everything happens for a reason! Remember, your outcome is a direct reflection of your outlook, so choose to make it a positive and productive one.
3. Choose to be your best. Wake up in the morning and choose to be the best you that you can possibly be. Do not leave behind any slack for the rest of your team to pick up. Pull your own weight and then some, be the employee or co-worker you expect others to be.
I challenge you to take the next week and focus on going into every situation with a positive mental attitude, and with the expectation that everything will work out for the best. I guarantee you that not only will you begin to see a difference in your happiness level, but you will also begin to see a change in the people and situations you used to have issues with.
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