Expectations
Is it possible your expectations are limiting your contentment with life?
When I decided to do the Keep Pursuing Series, I made the conscious decision to have no expectations for the number of people attending, how many tickets would be claimed, and to let the series be what it was meant to be.
After last week’s final talk, I was extremely satisfied with the series' outcome.
But, had I focused on the number of tickets claimed, how many people showed up, and whether or not there was a lot of “buzz” about the series, I could have found reasons to have been disappointed; in that disappointment, I would have allowed that low energy to minimize the positive feedback from those in attendance, the follow-up conversations to continue the talks with individuals, comments on YouTube, and support from people not able to attend but seeing the clips and highlights on social media.
Eventually, I’ll raise my expectations for the Keep Pursuing Series (it’s not over), the LifeDesign+ podcast (it’s coming back in full force soon), and the Daily Notes—the expectations will be visualizations of the results that I want and not hopeful expectations of what might happen.
How will I know when it’s time to increase my expectations–and how will you know when it’s time for you to do the same?
For me, it will be a feeling.
If I go back to the Keep Pursuing Series, the first five talks allowed me to experience trying to get people interested to come out in the evening to hear me speak. It forced me to become a speech writer and not just think about what I want to say before getting on stage. It forced me to think more about storytelling than just sharing my thoughts. And it forced me to create a routine for preparing for the talks. It was a tremendous learning experience. As I plan out next year’s Keep Pursuing Series, I expect to have a feeling of greater confidence and a vision for more attendees, more buzz, better writing and delivery, and a more energizing experience for the attendees–my expectations/vision for 2024’s series will be grander because of what I learned this year.
I’m not sure my approach to having lower expectations initially and increasing them after each experience is the “right” approach for everyone or every situation.
Who knows, I could have had a packed coffee shop for each talk if that was where I set my visualization, but for me, this first series was more about learning and quality over quantity of attendees. It certainly feels like it was right for me—to have the opportunity to speak in front of thousands, you first have to start in a coffee shop, talking to 10-15 people.
As you set out to try new things in your Pursuit, be mindful of how your expectations impact how you view the outcomes of your experimentations or decisions.
See you tomorrow and keep pursuing,
JC
