There are no limits in life on how much you can achieve our how far you can

go, except for the limits and restricts you put on yourself. The unfortunate

part is many people do not see these restrictions and thus never understand

why their life seems to never get any better. I have heard it said time and

time again, "It doesn’t matter what I say or do nothing ever gets better

for me, and it seems to be getting worse by the minute." Obviously this is

not a very positive outlook on life, but I am sure you too have someone in

your life with this type of perspective. Many people don’t realize that

what they say is true, if they claim it. This is known as the Law of

Expectation.

Simply, the Law of Expectations says that whatever you expect and claim,

confidently, becomes your reality. When you expect with confidence that good

things will happen to you, they usually do. On the other hand, if you expect

negative things to happen or constantly put yourself down, then your outcome

will usually be a negative one.

The expectations we have play a key role in our ultimate outcome, but they

also have a significant effect on the people around us. What we expect from

those around us directly affects our attitude toward them. On the same note,

the people around us tend to mirror our attitudes right back at us, whether

they are positive or negative, good or bad.

Dr. Robert Rosenthal of the University of California - Riverside, has spent

more than 40 years studying the idea that one's expectations for the behavior

of another, can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Rosenthal tells in his

book "Pygmalion in the Classroom", case after case where teachers were told

that a student or class, was extremely intelligent and expected to be top

achievers in academic performance in the upcoming year. One thing you need to

know is that these students were randomly chosen from the school population,

none of them were special in any specific way other then the fact that the

teacher believed that the student or students were exceptional and expected

them to excel. These "special" students performed at much higher level

than other students in the same or similar classes.

So the question now becomes what can we do to change our expectations and

ultimately our success outcome?

1. Always expect the best. This means in every situation and from everyone

around you. Do not go into work tomorrow and expect to have a problem with

that co-worker or employee you butt heads with everyday. Expect that today

will be a great day, a problem free day, that runs smoothly.

2. Be "Polly Positive"! Some of the best managers, entrepreneurs, and

salespeople alive today expect the best out of a situation before they face

it. If you say it’s going to be a bad sales call, chances are it will be.

You have to enter every situation with a positive attitude. Do not let the

rain outside or the flat tire on your car change your positive outlook on the

day. Everything happens for a reason! Remember, your outcome is a direct

reflection of your outlook, so choose to make it a positive and productive

one.

3. Choose to be your best. Wake up in the morning and choose to be the best

you that you can possibly be. Do not leave behind any slack for the rest of

your team to pick up. Pull your own weight and then some, be the employee or

co-worker you expect others to be.

I challenge you to take the next week and focus on going into every situation

with a positive mental attitude, and with the expectation that everything

will work out for the best. I guarantee you that not only will you begin to

see a difference in your happiness level, but you will also begin to see a

change in the people and situations you used to have issues with.