I took my first job in the business world in a bank almost 40 years ago.  I was like a sponge.  I didn’t know what I didn’t know, so I just soaked everything up.  I volunteered for new projects to get more knowledge and gain new skills.  I paid very close attention to not only what I was told, but how people acted and interacted with others.

As I look back on that experience, one of the biggest impressions on me was the different mindsets of the people there and the culture of the business.  I noticed a significant difference in people and that there are basically two types,

1. Those that expect things to go well.

2. Those that expect things to fall apart.

Why are people’s expectations so different?

Expectation is the feeling or belief that something will or should happen.  A total state of mind.  It is real for the person with the expectation, but it may not be realistic.  Or it may not be necessary.  For instance, a basketball player is a great free throw shooter, but he misses 4 in a row. What is his expectation for the next time he steps up to the line to shoot a free throw?  This depends upon how strong his mindset is, how much he believes, how prepared he is and how well he has planned for this to occur. 

The 3 Requirements to Expect to Win.

1. You Must Believe.

Believing is not easy. Believing in anyone or anything requires conviction, which includes believing in one’s self.

The definition of belief brings out why it is hard and why it is so important. 

“To have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so. Only if one believes in something can one act purposefully.”

I strongly agree with this observation. If you don't believe in something, that something being what you are wanting to accomplish big things in, then you will not act purposefully or strongly or till it gets done.  If you don’t believe you won’t be willing to do what it takes, to make sacrifices or perform with the gritted teeth to overcome the obstacles that will come along the way.

Believing in something is especially important to us and we need to dig deep to make sure that we understand how it is affecting us today.

“Belief is a necessary part of our lives if we want to achieve any level of happiness and fulfillment in life.“

A certainty is that if you want to live with an expectation that you will succeed, that you will win, then you must believe.

The Expect to Win mindset begins with the understanding of how important it is to believe and the commitment to constantly be working on gaining and growing that belief in self and the other important parts of our lives.

2. You Must Be Prepared.

A big part of having the strong feeling and belief that things will go well, that you will succeed in your endeavors, is to be very well prepared to perform and execute.

Preparation creates:

• Self - Confidence

• Skill

• Resilience - the strength to keep on going.

John Maxwell said,

“Every day of your life is merely preparation for the next. What you become is the result of what you do today. In other words, … You are preparing for something.” More from John Maxwell

We are constantly in preparation for something. That something is up to you. But, to expect to achieve - to Win - you must prepare.

3. You Must Have a Plan

John T. Meyer, the co-founder and CEO of Lemonly, wrote,

“What are the most important moments of the day? The 20 minutes you commit to planning. I know for some people it's a dreaded word, but don't worry. I'm not talking about writing a business plan or setting annual goals. I'm simply talking about dedicating 20 minutes to prioritizing and organizing your day.”

If you want to have a mindset of Expect to Win you must plan.  That includes not only planning, it also includes prioritizing and organizing your journey.  If you don’t set a course of how you will get to where you want to go, your chances of getting there are very slim.  If you continually miss your target and you don’t have a practice of planning how you are going to hit your target, your Expectation will be one of misery and total failure.

Here are 3 areas that you should have written plans for:

1. Goals - All areas of your life.

2. Your Days (Weekly & Monthly plans are also highly effective)

3. Financial (Separate from goals in all areas of your life for emphasis on how important it is.)

CONCLUSION SUMMARY

When I witnessed the difference between the two different mindsets. Both had an expectation, but they were totally opposite.  Their job performance was opposite as well.  But the most impactful thing that I saw was the fact that the people who had an expectation of miserable results were unhappy in general and so were the people around them, including their families. This motivated me to begin making Expecting to Win an out-front part of my life.  As I became an impactful communicator, I consistently share The Expect to Win mindset to everybody that will read about it and listen to it. It is absolutely the key to a happy, successful, and fulfilling life.

If you want to approach your life Expecting to Win, begin working on these 3 requirements:

1. Believe - Big and Bold

2. Get Prepared

3. Commit to a Plan

Expect to Win!

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