It is important to have realistic expectations of things you want to accomplish whether personally or professionally. Otherwise, you are setting yourself up for failure.
Take going on a diet for an example.”I’ve got to lose weight as fast as I can,” translates into, “I don’t have the willpower to do it right so I’m going just going to go into starvation mode and lose 20 pounds in a month.” Even if the dieter manages to take off the weight, it’s usually only a matter of time before he or she puts it right back on …up and down like a yo-yo!
Let’s look at another example. A budding entrepreneur opens a business expecting to be an overnight success. When it doesn’t happen as quickly as he or she anticipated, the entrepreneur gets upset and discouraged and walks away from the business saying, “Well, so much for that idea. I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”
What went wrong with both these scenarios? Instead of following a sensible eating plan, the dieter decided that starvation was the quick fix. Lack of motivation to do it right led to FAILURE. The entrepreneur walked away from a potentially lucrative business because the money didn’t come rolling in quickly enough. Lack of patience also led to FAILURE.
When we are realistic about our expectations and go after what we want with a positive attitude, we increase our chances of being successful.
