Positive Expectations

One of the most powerful ways to increase your levels of happiness and joy is to make the decision to live your life with positive expectations.

Whenever you identify a potential problem on the horizon, it's important to realize that you can choose to adopt either a positive or negative expectation of how things will turn out. Here's a real life example that illustrates the difference between living with positive and negative expectations.

Example: Matt logged on to his Internet banking account and discovered that someone had been using his credit card fraudulently and had made cash withdrawals amounting to $8900. He rang his bank immediately to cancel his card and was told that it would take 3 weeks for the bank to determine whether he would be reimbursed.

Option #1 - Living With Negative Expectations:

The next 3 weeks were a nightmare as Matt continually imagined the bank telling him that he was liable for the money because he had forgotten to inform them of his change of address. He couldn't sleep at night, was distracted at work and repeatedly snapped at his wife and kids.

All he could think about was what would happen if the bank said he was liable for the money. After an agonizing 3 week wait, the bank informed him that he was not liable and suddenly, the pressure, stress and angst disappeared and Matt realized that he had put himself through emotional turmoil unnecessarily.

Option #2 - Living With Positive Expectations:

After speaking with the bank, Matt was concerned about the situation but realized that worrying about it wouldn't make the slightest difference, so he actively made the decision to focus on a positive outcome. As he adopted a sense of positive expectation, he stopped worrying and came up with a list of things he could do to help make his positive expectation a reality.

He printed out his statements and then contacted the bank's fraud department to provide them with as much information as possible. Every time he took action, he strengthened his sense of positive expectation. When the bank confirmed that he would be reimbursed, Matt was delighted and rang and thanked his contact at the bank.

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Today as you look ahead at the potential problems heading your way,  I'd like to encourage you to make the decision to live your life with positive expectations. Let go of unproductive anxiety and focus instead on taking action to make your positive expectations a reality.

This Week's Action Steps:

1. Realize that in any situation, you can choose to adopt either a negative or a positive expectation. By focusing on a positive outcome you can often avoid a great deal of unnecessary worry.

2. Focus on the outcome you want and think of as many things as possible that will help you achieve your desired result.

3. Take action - With each action you take, you will strengthen your sense of positive expectation.

Until Next Time,

Dare To Dream!

Anthony

If you enjoyed this article you might also like my book The Oracle's Secret.