What do you expect?

How many times has someone said that to you? Usually, of course, it’s rhetorical – a (typically critical) commentary on a particular situation: “What do you expect from a place like this/person like that/day like today?” etc.

But really, it’s a great question. One of the best you can ask or be asked. Because your answer will, in turn, answer a lot of other questions in your life.

What DO you expect? Not want. Not wish for. Expect. What do you believe is going to happen in your life?

Pay attention and you’ll notice that what you expect – you tend to get. Expect to be exhausted, and you will be. Anticipate a bad day, and you can just about guarantee you’ll have one.

On the other hand, expect to enjoy yourself at a party… or do an incredible job in a presentation… or make X amount of money by X date… and you’ll find that the actual outcomes line up pretty closely with that expectation.

Your expectations might not always form themselves as such in your mind. You may not consciously think, “I expect to be overwhelmed at work today”, or “I expect to remain in debt.” But if you don’t take conscious control of the process, then your subconscious expectations will simply reflect the results you’ve experienced before. And those same results, in one form or another, are what will continue to show up for you.

To have a great day tomorrow, try this little experiment tonight: Just before you turn out the light and go to sleep, set a clear, definite expectation for tomorrow. A positive expectation that is in direct response to a specific deficit or negative you experienced today.

I expect to see new ways to create wealth and abundance in my life.

I expect to have a ton of energy.

I expect to feel delighted with my spouse.

I expect to do a great job at work and have fun doing it.

I expect to feel happy all day long.  

Let your expectation germinate in your mind all night long. Repeat it to yourself — really meaning it — when you wake up tomorrow.  And remind yourself of it periodically throughout the day. Then observe what happens.

You’ll notice very early on that the circumstances in your life are conforming to your expectations, and that they continue to do so as long as you maintain your expectation that they will. This is no accident! Expectation is an extraordinary power. Use it consciously, use it wisely, and you’ll have in your power one of the secrets to creating a great day, every day.