Expect

We had a dog living with us for a little over a week.  She was a sweet little thing and shuffled around our house like a happy little clam.  It didn't change our life too much, but when she left, it took me a few days to get used to her absence.  It was this adjustment that aided in coming up with a simple discovery about life.  And that discovery was is follows.

You always hear that it takes 21 days to form a habit.  And while that isn't true (it actually depends on the habit you are trying to establish, (Lally, 998-1009)), I don't think that accurately depicts the whole story.  You see, one is often motivated by expectations.  That is why ruts are such a common occurrence.  People, whether they like it or not, follow their expectations, because expectations are comfortable and it is within human tendency to live within comfort.

So what does this have to do with anything?  So sweet of you to ask.  Based on how quick I adjusted to having a dog around all the time, it seems much quicker to adjust your expectations than your habits.  Knowing that your habits are built on expectations, it is within our best interests to expect great things.  We need to fill our expectations with the habits we want to develop.  

Let me give you an example.  Say I want to get in better shape.  I need to start encouraging myself to workout daily.  This encouragement becomes an expectation after it has been supported by action a few days in a row.  This expectation develops into a habit.  

Now when it comes to my self-esteem, I need to expect that my capability is high.  This has always been daunting to me, because I don't like being disappointed.  I often link my failure to my inability.  But if I develop my esteem properly, my disappointments won't be a reflection of me, but an occupational hazard of striving.

So my goal from here on out is to establish a thought process that encourages positive expectations.  In me, in others, in life.  Because only then will I truly embrace all I was made for.

"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death." -Philippians 1:20



Cited: Lally, Philippa, Cornelia Van Jaarsveld, Henry W.W. Potts, and Jane Waardle. "How Are Habits Formed: Modelling Habit Formation in the Real World†." How Are Habits Formed: Modelling Habit Formation in the Real World. N.p., 6 July 2009. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.