Did you expect to be doing better at this stage in life? Me too.

There’s an old song by Creedence Clearwater Revival that addresses the topic of expectation so well. It’s called “Lodi.”

Just about a year ago,
I set out on the road,
Seeking my fame and fortune,
Looking for a pot of gold.
Things got bad, and things got worse,
I guess you will know the tune.
Oh ! Lord, Stuck in Lodi again.

If I only had a dollar, for ev’ry song I’ve sung.
And ev’ry time I’ve had to play
While people sat there drunk.
You know, I’d catch the next train back to where I live.
Oh ! Lord, I’m stuck in Lodi again.
Oh ! Lord, I’m stuck in Lodi again.

We all get stuck somewhere. Some of us learn to like it, or at least claim we do because we fear there is no alternative. Our main problem is our expectation.

“Shoot for the moon” is the carrot and stick philosophy we seem to follow. I’m sure that approach has worked for some to reach their expectations but most of us have come up short.

“She had such great potential” is what we often hear when we witness her fall on her rear. Not living up to expectations is a mental game that we play and it is one that’s played for us by others.

Expectation starts out as foresight but its sting is mainly felt in hindsight.

Expectation ignores the moment. It suggests that we should be somewhere where we’re not, whether looking forward or looking back.

No one ever taught us to expect to be where we are at any given moment. It’s the strategy that pulls out the stinger of expectation.

This by no means suggests that you give up on your dreams, just don’t attempt to live them by expectation. Expectation is entitlement by a different name. The only thing we are entitled to is the moment we’re in.

Making the most of the current moment is the real dream builder, not the diversion of expectation.

My wife from another life had this observation: “Fathers tend to tell their children what they can be and mothers accept them for who they are.” I’m sure the roles are reversed in some families but the premise of expectation, high or low, starts at home. We seem to all play the role of “Stage Mother” somewhere in our parenting – projecting onto them what was projected onto us – expectation.

When we don’t live up to that expectation, something seems to be missing. What’s missing is the life and opportunities the present moment brings. They’re sacrificed for expectations.

The building blocks for anyone’s future can only be found right here and right now. The only place you can start from is right now. When you slip into the world of expectation, you slip out of the only time you can accomplish something – right now.

Expecting and doing run on different tracks. One is a path to nowhere and the other is a pathway to your dreams.

Here is my suggestion: Go for your dreams, just don’t let expectation get in the way.

All the best,

John

LOSE WEIGHT & KEEP IT OFF
STOP SMOKING FOREVER
SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT EVERY NIGHT
IMPROVE YOUR SELF CONFIDENCE
RELAX IN 2 MINUTES