Personal Expectations

Over or Under?

What do you expect from yourself?

And why have you set that expectation?

Have you ever thought about it?…

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The driver

Some people drive themselves. Expectations through the roof.

In some cases, I’m in awe of this sort of person. They seem to know what they want, are willing to set the bar high, and put in the effort to make it happen.

Other times, I’m not so sure. I see an emphasis on “work” at the expense of personal and family life. Being an unhappy “success” isn’t.

The slacker

No expectations, no plans, no cares.

This extreme sort of individual is perhaps less common – because it’s hard to make your way through life without any sort of concern;-)

Often found in the younger generation – while they still have a safety net of sorts. Yes, if it doesn’t work out, it’s always nice to fall back “home”.

Somewhere in the middle…

Pick your battles and choose life.

Maybe I should explain that… You need to get some things accomplished, and it’s too easy to float through life without any goals or expectations. So set some.

But choose life over some fancy car, mansion and a yacht.

The material things don’t have that much to offer.

Leaving a legacy without plans

And here’s a take you might not have seen coming.

You can have high expectations without a huge plan.

That’s right – just because you expect something from yourself, doesn’t mean you have to have this all-encompasing plan. (or even a nominal plan)

I’ve been following Zen Habits for a while and the recent “Best Year” post captures this sentiment well.

But hey – work at your own pace – and have a great time with it.