Shifting Expectations in 5 Easy Steps

Shift your expectations.

Shifting your expectations doesn’t mean lowering your standards or changing your surrounding environment with materialistic items to achieve happiness. It is about assessing and working with what you have right now, and setting a positive mindset to overcome obstacles that will pop up from time to time. Try these simple techniques to start your personal or professional shift.

1. Start the day on the right track: Stop thinking about how to get the kids to school on time, or how you are not looking forward to a client meeting. Start your day with the right frame of mind (prime it correctly). Focus on what is good as you prime your brain in a positive direction.
2. Find the positive evidence: When your brain focuses on happy moments, then your body will follow. Big or small, personal or professional, it doesn’t matter; simply find that positive song, photo, email, or compliment. When you feel anxious, focus your energy back to it as a reminder.
3. Do what feels good: When you feel lighter and happier, then positive things will follow. Talk to a friend, walk the dog, turn up the volume on that song. As you incorporate those actions into your daily life, you boost your spirit and confidence.
4. Watch your self-chatter: The most negative force that is persistent is the voice in your head. How you talk to yourself impacts your perceptions and actions. Uncertainty is normal but you can overcome fear with encouragement, weakness with confidence, anxiety with compassion. The lonely corner of self-belief starts with eliminating criticism and transitioning it to center stage. Label it, identify with it, and understand that repeating “I will _____ “ is more effective than “I should _____.”
5. Pay attention: You can learn to be more self-aware by checking in: Is your jaw clench? Did you take a deep breath? Did you eat a healthy meal? Be aware and mindful by noticing how you think, how you talk, and how you feel as all of those impact your reality.

Source: Breathe Magazine, Happiness Special, 2018

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