What Do You Want?
Whatever it is that you want, wouldn't it be nice to always do or receive what you want, EXACTLY the way that envision it?
Of course, the chances of ALWAYS doing or achieving what you want is highly unlikely.
But why does what you want have to be EXACT?
The Problem with Exactness
I spent many years striving for perfection. I wanted to be the perfect student, athlete, daughter, friend, partner, and employee.
Tried as I might, I wasn't perfect at anything. I was good at most things, ok at others, but never ever anywhere close to perfect.
Unfortunately, inaction typically was the result of perfection.
That is one of the problems with exactness. You end up doing nothing.
Another problem with exactness is you lose sight of what you have accomplished. Did you..
- lose one pound instead of five?
- workout two days instead of the expected six?
- not give your presentation exactly how you had planned?
A pound is something. Shucks, working toward losing weight is something.
Ok, you planned to workout six days, but only worked out two. At least you did those two days. Determine how you can realistically do more.
Do you get where I am going? I am not suggesting that you be mediocre. What I AM saying is you are not going to hit your mark EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Therefore, do not beat yourself up for it. Because, there's something called…
Reality
Remember this: everything you do starts somewhere. More often than not, you're not going to hit it out of the park on your first, second, or possibly even your third try.
You're going to have plans and sometimes those plans will fall through.
The weather is going to be bad. You're going to forget something at home. You may feel under the weather.
That, my friend, is reality.
Sooo…
That begs the question, what do you do when expectation meets reality?
What to Do When Expectation Meets Reality
First and foremost, you do not give up.
Next, compare where you were to where you are now. Take a mental note of what you have accomplished, how you have changed, or how you have improved. You didn't improve? Fine. Work on improving.
When you're not feeling well, having a bad day, not as prepared as you would have liked to have been, don't be the perfect me and do nothing. Instead, know that everyday ain't gonna be perfect.
Check out this video to better understand what I mean.
So when expectation meets reality, and you are at risk of speaking poorly of yourself, being inactive, or giving up, give the message in this video a try.
Push through the rough spots. Do the best you can. Most importantly, never give up. Because everyday ain't gonna be perfect. (You'll get that if you watched the video).
Listen to the Audio
No time to watch a video? No problem. Instead of watching, you can listen.
Read the Transcript
If you like reading rather than watching a video or listening to audio, download a complete, word-for-word transcript of the video here.
How do you see yourself as it relates to your expectations meeting your reality? Share in the post comments.