A few years ago I was riding with a buddy in his Jeep to a work event.  We had maybe a 15-minute drive together, and in that short time he taught me a universal truth…

Something so simple and yet so unlimited in its application that I still think about it every single day.

I honestly don’t even remember what we were talking about – he just said something in passing like “well you know, the only time people get mad or upset is when they get something they didn’t expect.”

Mind.  Blown.

Naturally, I argued with him about it.  I rambled while I worked to connect my skepticism to something logical.  It sounded like “wait — that’s not always the case… sometimes people… You know sometimes there’s a legitimate… you can’t say they always get upset just because their expectations aren’t met… because…. because….. Well shit that IS true isn’t it?!”

I’m certain this revelation has been said a million times before and in a million different ways, yet in that moment the truth of this little gem hit me as if it were the first time it was ever uttered on Earth… and I couldn’t shake the power of its wisdom.  Consider it for a moment:

If it’s true that people only get angry, disappointed, upset, etc. when their expectations aren’t met, then couldn’t we preempt all kinds of pain (and simultaneously experience so much more pleasure) by simply managing our own expectations?!

Mind.  Potentially blown?

If you’re skeptical still, I’m open to other suggestions.  Yet I’ve found in my own life and business (and equally in my clients’ lives and businesses) this principle about expectations can alleviate SO MANY of our problems:

What if you had a clear and direct way to be happy in any moment?

What if you could be more relaxed all the time, especially in stressful situations?

How would it change your business to live in the moment, and not in fear or expectation of a certain result?

Could you improve your relationships by being more clear about what YOU expect in them?

What if you could use this idea to dramatically improve your customer service?

Do you continually expect more than people deliver?

We can ferret out a looooong list of great results we can experience if we learn to manage our expectations.  How does this apply for you?

Ultimately, we can really screw ourselves and our businesses up if we are unclear, unrealistic, or unsatisfied about our expectations.

Are you holding onto to an expectation that isn’t serving you anymore?

Keep up with us on social media:

©2023 Goodman Coaching