Have you ever experienced how a brief moment shifts your perception forever?
For me, one of these moments came while I was attending UC Berkeley a few years ago. When giving a talk, associate vice chancellor Ron Coley shared about a college paper he wrote answering his philosophy professor's prompt, "What is the biggest problem in the world?"
His answer was mismatched expectations.
This response got me thinking. How often did my expectations lead to disappointment when reality fell short of what I imagined it would be? Equally valid, how many times had I gone into a situation expecting nothing, leaving overjoyed with the results?
Think about it. Have you ever been to a restaurant where the hostess said your table would be ready in five minutes? After 10 minutes pass, you start to get grumpy and after 15, you get really upset. Finally when you are seated 20 minutes after being told it would only take five, you are fuming because of the expectation that had been set.