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How Expectation Shapes Direction (S5) S28:E5 · Inspirations for Your Life

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Without any further ado, guys, let's kick this
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show off.
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Ladies and gentlemen, this is Inspirations for Your
1:43
Life, the master weekly topic, the power of
1:47
steady trust, building stability in uncertain times.
1:52
The daily topic, series five, show 28, episode
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number five, how expectation shapes direction.
2:01
Welcome everyone to Inspirations for Your Life.
2:04
I am John C.
2:06
Morley, serial entrepreneur, engineer, marketing specialist, video producer,
2:10
podcast host, coach, keynote speaker, graduate student at
2:14
Montgomery State University, passionate lifelong learner, and grateful
2:18
now to be a published author.
2:20
Thank you so much for choosing to join
2:22
me for another amazing episode where I basically
2:25
discover and help you connect with practical principles
2:30
that strengthen, well, your mindset and ours to
2:34
sharpen the focus and help us live with
2:37
greater purpose.
2:39
This week's master topic, like I said, is
2:41
all about the power of steady trust, building
2:43
stability in uncertain times.
2:44
It's not an easy thing to do.
2:46
Today's episode is about how expectation shapes the
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direction.
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Everything you accomplish begins long before you first
2:55
have a visible action.
2:59
It begins with what you expect.
3:02
Your expectations shape your thoughts, influence your decisions,
3:06
and determine the direction you continue moving.
3:09
When light becomes uncertain, guys, before success ever
3:14
appears, expectation is already influencing your future.
3:18
So let's explore some principles that can reveal
3:21
how expectation quietly becomes the compass that guides
3:24
your life.
3:25
Are you ready, guys?
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Guys, let's get right into this because that's
3:30
the best way to do this, guys, all
3:31
right?
3:32
Number one, expectation directs behavior.
3:37
Your actions usually follow what you believe is
3:40
possible.
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Positive expectations encourage bold action, while negative expectations
3:47
often create hesitation.
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Number two, what you believe shapes what you
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pursue.
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People naturally invest time in goals they believe
3:57
they can achieve.
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Strong beliefs encourage greater commitment and persistence.
4:03
Number three, mindset determines the trajectory we take.
4:07
The direction of your life begins with the
4:10
direction of your thinking.
4:11
A healthier mindset produces healthier decisions.
4:16
Over time, that is, guys, so you have
4:18
to embrace that.
4:19
Number four, expectation influences, well, outcomes.
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What you expect affects the effort you invest.
4:29
Greater expectation usually leads to greater persistence during
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challenges.
4:35
Number five, belief guides decisions.
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Every important decision is influenced by what you
4:43
believe about yourself.
4:45
Healthy beliefs encourage courageous choices that move your
4:49
life forward.
4:51
Number six, guys, anticipation shapes action.
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People prepare differently when they genuinely expect success.
5:02
Positive anticipation encourages consistent preparation instead of hesitation.
5:08
Number seven, guys, focus follows expectation.
5:12
Your attention naturally moves toward what you expect
5:16
to find.
5:17
Clear expectations help eliminate distractions and strengthen concentration.
5:25
Number eight, guys, what you expect, you prepare
5:29
for.
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Preparation reflects expectation.
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When you truly believe opportunity is coming, you
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begin preparing long before it arrives.
5:40
Number nine, direction begins in thought.
5:44
Every meaningful accomplishment begins as an idea.
5:48
Changing your direction starts with changing your thinking.
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A lot of people, well, they get scared
5:54
of changing their thinking.
5:55
They think if they change their thinking that,
5:57
you know, they're going to, like, go off
5:59
track.
6:00
It's going to get uncomfortable, guys, and that's
6:03
where success starts to live.
6:05
We have to practice getting comfortable being uncomfortable.
6:08
All right.
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Number 10, expectation drives consistency.
6:14
Believing your effort matters makes it easier to
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stay consistent.
6:19
Consistency grows when purpose remains stronger.
6:22
Then temporary emotion, and I think that's another
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important insight, right?
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We believe in it, and therefore when we
6:28
believe in it, it happens.
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Number 11, guys, belief creates momentum.
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Every positive action reinforces confidence.
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That confidence encourages another action, creating momentum that
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continues building over time.
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That's the key, guys, over time, not in
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one breath, okay?
6:48
Number 12, vision shapes behavior.
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A clear vision simplifies daily decisions.
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When you know where you're going, your habits
6:59
begin supporting that destination.
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I think that's something that a lot of
7:03
people miss.
7:04
They don't realize that our thoughts actually get
7:08
us to be aligned with the actions we're
7:10
going to take.
7:11
That's really important.
7:13
Number 13, guys, expectation builds habits.
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Repeat expectations become repeated behaviors.
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Over time, those behaviors become habits that shape
7:26
your future.
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A lot of people don't realize those small
7:30
habits we have make the difference, right?
7:33
They make the difference, and that difference helps
7:36
us to gain a better appreciation, a different
7:40
perspective, but the most important thing is it
7:43
helps us to change the path we're on,
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right?
7:48
To do things every day to lead us
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towards success.
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Number 14, guys, thought becomes structure.
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Consistent thinking creates consistent behavior.
8:01
Eventually, those behaviors become routines that organize your
8:05
life and strengthen your progress.
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And again, this might sound, I don't know,
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it might sound hard to believe.
8:17
It might sound like this is pie in
8:19
the sky, but when you take small actions
8:21
over time and you keep doing them consistently
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with a structure, you're going to yield some
8:27
results.
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Number 15, direction follows clarity.
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When somebody has a direction, clarity usually comes
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right after it, right?
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People know the direction that they've got to
8:44
take.
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That's important, guys.
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When your purpose becomes clear, your choice that
8:52
you make and other choices become simpler.
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Clarity removes unnecessary distractions and allows your energy
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to move toward what matters most.
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Number 16, expectation filters decisions.
9:07
Every day, you make choices that either move
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you toward your future or away from it.
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Your expectations become the filter that determines which
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opportunities you pursue and which distractions you avoid.
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See, healthy expectations help you make decisions that
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align with your true purpose.
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Number 17, belief strengthens discipline.
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But belief is not something you just go
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grab out of thin air.
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You've really got to believe this from your
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core.
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That's something somebody can just tell you to
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do.
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You've got to embrace it with every muscle,
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ligament, tendon, and organ in your body.
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Belief strengthens discipline.
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Discipline becomes easier when you believe your effort
10:00
has meaning.
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Strong belief gives you the motivation to continue
10:05
even when results are delayed.
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I feel like they're not showing up.
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The more you believe in your destination, the
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more committed you become to the journey in
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your life.
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It starts, guys, with what?
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It starts with belief.
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Belief, okay?
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That belief is what makes the whole difference.
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That makes the whole difference.
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That makes the whole difference about you and
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things that you're doing.
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I think those are important things for us
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to understand.
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All right?
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Number 18, focus grows from expectation.
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Now, it doesn't grow quickly, but it does
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grow.
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And the more you grow, the easier it
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becomes, okay?
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It's like, we think of it like the
11:01
snowball effect, right?
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When the ball is starting to roll down,
11:05
it's nothing, right?
11:05
But eventually, it rolls, it picks up momentum,
11:08
and it gains, well, more snow.
11:10
And more snow, it packs in.
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Before you know it, that, well, snowball could
11:15
be a killer snowball, right?
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But it starts off slow, doesn't it?
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And the momentum picks up, then it becomes
11:24
this huge ball.
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It's like it started with a little tiny,
11:28
little snowball.
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And suddenly, it's, like, rolling into something, like,
11:32
really big.
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So, focus grows from the expectation that we
11:36
have.
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Your mind naturally pays attention to what it
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believes is important.
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Positive expectations sharpen your focus and reduce unnecessary
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distractions.
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Clear expectations create clear priorities.
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When you become clear on the things you
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do, that's important.
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And that's a big, that's a very, very,
12:02
very, very big key to understand.
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Those priorities, right?
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That's important.
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And the more that we embrace that concept,
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the more that a pathway just sort of
12:15
opens up for us.
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Now, it might seem magical.
12:18
It's not magical, guys.
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I gotta tell you this.
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It's happening because you've already put the work
12:23
in it, all right?
12:25
It didn't just happen because you woke up
12:27
one day, all right?
12:28
You were planting seeds the entire time.
12:31
And if you plant seeds the entire time,
12:34
eventually, they're gonna grow.
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But some people don't water.
12:41
They don't care for their plants.
12:44
They don't give it the other nutrients that
12:46
they need.
12:47
They give up because they're not growing in
12:49
a few weeks.
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But you gotta stay faithful.
12:53
And you gotta believe that that plant is
12:55
gonna grow.
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And it will grow.
12:57
You can't rush it.
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It's gotta grow in its timeline.
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And that might be hard for a lot
13:02
of people to realize that, well, it's not
13:04
growing yet, but what if it's not on
13:08
my timeline?
13:09
Well, if it's not on your timeline, it
13:10
doesn't mean anything bad.
13:12
It just means that you have to realize
13:15
what it's about.
13:16
You have to realize that timeline is where
13:21
you are right now.
13:22
Now, you might not be at the edge
13:24
of the timeline where you wanna be, but
13:26
you can keep working toward it.
13:28
And the way you get closer to where
13:31
you wanna be on it is by just
13:33
taking consistent steps every day now, you know,
13:36
consistency and structure every day.
13:39
That's the key.
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Even if there's no results, you have to
13:44
keep doing this day in and day out.
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That's just the real secret.
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Number 19, guys.
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Anticipation creates readiness.
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John, what do you mean by that?
13:58
Great question.
13:59
Preparation always begins before the opportunity arrives, right?
14:04
We have to prepare before we're ready for
14:06
something, right?
14:07
When you expect good things to happen, you
14:10
continue learning, practicing, and improving so you're ready
14:13
when the moment comes.
14:15
Readiness is built through consistent preparation.
14:20
It's not built through a race or through
14:22
a rush, okay?
14:24
When we rush, we do things wrong, they
14:27
fall apart, like a house, a building, a
14:29
structure.
14:30
If we don't have a solid foundation, okay,
14:34
even a sidewalk, right?
14:35
If we don't wait till the sidewalk is
14:36
fully cured, we're gonna have a mess.
14:39
We're gonna have just like a sidewalk that's
14:42
falling apart and it's gonna be very unstructural
14:45
because somebody stepped in it and it's not
14:48
gonna harden in the right place, it's gonna
14:49
have weak points.
14:53
Number 20, guys.
14:55
Expectation builds identity.
14:59
John, that's a lot of words, I know.
15:01
The expectations you hold about yourself influence the
15:05
person you become.
15:07
Every positive choice reinforces a stronger identity built
15:11
upon growth.
15:14
Confidence and resilience.
15:17
Notice I said a belief.
15:20
Identity develops through repeated belief and repeated action.
15:25
Those are pretty cool things, guys.
15:29
Repeated action, repeated belief and repeated action.
15:35
Number 21, vision drives persistence.
15:39
Did you know that?
15:40
A compelling vision gives you a reason to
15:43
continue when progress feels slow.
15:46
Instead of focusing on temporary obstacles, you stay
15:49
connected to your long-term purpose.
15:51
Vision keeps persistence alive.
15:55
Does vision create it?
15:58
Well, yes, it makes it real in your
16:00
brain but you still gotta take the steps
16:02
to get to where you wanna be, right?
16:05
You're gonna get inspired thought and that thought's
16:08
gonna lead you to an inspired action but
16:10
you still gotta take that action, guys.
16:11
You can't just say, well, I'm just gonna
16:14
think about it, it's gonna happen.
16:15
It's not.
16:17
You get the inspired thoughts, you get inspired
16:19
action, and then you've got to take those
16:22
actions.
16:25
That's it.
16:27
Many people are given amazing thoughts that they
16:30
can act upon but they just sit there
16:32
and they wait and like, yeah, it's a
16:35
good idea.
16:35
I eventually have to do that and that
16:38
goes nowhere.
16:39
Number 22, guys, expectation removes doubt.
16:48
When you know what you're working toward, uncertainty
16:52
loses much of its power.
16:55
Positive expectations replace hesitation with confidence and encourage
17:01
forward movement.
17:03
Purpose naturally reduces doubt.
17:09
Purpose is put together around your core values.
17:16
Your core values don't change that often.
17:19
You might start when you're younger with some
17:20
core value, you might say, gee, this doesn't
17:22
fit me, you might wanna change it up
17:23
but usually as you get older, those core
17:25
values become pretty stable and you recognize that
17:28
they don't need to change.
17:29
See, when you're younger, you're changing them, you're
17:31
like, oh, well, this person won't like me.
17:33
You get older, you're like, I am who
17:35
I am, right?
17:36
In my philosophy, people will like me, love
17:38
me or hate me and I keep moving
17:39
on.
17:40
Number 23, guys, mental framing shapes outcomes.
17:46
The meaning you assign to a situation often
17:49
determines how you respond.
17:52
Challenges can become setbacks or they can be
17:55
stepping stones depending on your own perspective.
18:01
Healthy thinking creates healthier outcomes.
18:07
That's when I think that a lot of
18:08
people have a hard time realizing that your
18:11
embracement of something has the ability to make
18:15
it positive or to make it negative just
18:20
by the thought that you have in there,
18:23
just by that thought, just by that thought.
18:31
Interesting, right?
18:35
Have you thought about that in a way?
18:39
Maybe, maybe not.
18:44
Interesting, right?
18:52
It gets people to not realize like what's
18:55
going on.
18:57
And I think when people have a chance
18:59
to sit down and say, wait a minute,
19:01
this is the perspective I have and this
19:04
is why I'm getting the results that I
19:06
have right now because the perspective that I
19:09
am focusing on is giving me what I
19:12
have.
19:12
Can you change that?
19:14
Absolutely, you can change that.
19:16
Number 24, guys, what you expect, you attract
19:22
action to it because it has a way
19:27
of getting our anticipation to be focusing on
19:31
things by our RAS or a ticker activating
19:33
system.
19:34
Expectation alone does not change reality, but it
19:38
changes our behavior.
19:42
You begin noticing opportunities, asking better questions, and
19:46
taking meaningful action because your mind is focused
19:50
on possibility instead of limitation.
19:54
When we focus on possibilities, we want to
19:58
go forward.
19:59
We want to do more in our life.
20:01
But when we focus on other things, it's
20:03
like, well, how do I do that?
20:05
How?
20:08
How do I go that way?
20:10
Right?
20:14
Interesting, right?
20:16
People do this their whole life.
20:25
I think a lot of people get scared
20:29
in this stage.
20:33
And I think they get scared because they
20:36
feel, what if I make a mistake?
20:38
What if I go the wrong way?
20:40
What if you go the right way?
20:42
I mean, I think those are the kinds
20:44
of questions that we need to be asking
20:46
ourselves.
20:47
What if we go the right way?
20:49
Number 25, expectation defines effort level.
20:55
People naturally work harder toward goals they genuinely
20:58
believe are attainable.
21:00
Strong expectations encourage persistence.
21:04
When others would just give up and quit.
21:07
Your belief influences the effort you're willing to
21:10
invest.
21:13
Think about that for a moment.
21:15
Your belief is responsible for the effort you're
21:18
going to invest.
21:19
Number 26, belief shapes the commitment.
21:23
Commitment grows when your belief becomes stronger than
21:26
your excuses.
21:28
Even difficult seasons become easier to navigate because
21:31
your purpose remains clear.
21:33
Lasting commitment begins with lasting belief.
21:40
It's not something you just do one day,
21:42
guys.
21:42
It's something you live with.
21:46
Number 27, expectation creates alignment.
21:49
Aha.
21:51
When your expectations, values, habits, and actions all
21:55
point to the same direction, progress becomes more
22:00
intentional.
22:01
Alignment removes unnecessary conflict and creates momentum.
22:07
Everything begins working together like a synergy.
22:11
I think sometimes that scares people when things
22:15
are working so perfectly.
22:16
They're afraid they might muck it up.
22:21
But the people that muck it up are
22:22
the people that don't try.
22:24
The people that are afraid to do something
22:27
different.
22:29
Number 28, guys, focus follows mental direction.
22:34
Where your mind consistently goes, your attention eventually
22:38
follows.
22:40
Positive thinking encourages productive action and meaningful progress.
22:44
Your thoughts quietly shape your future every single
22:47
day, whether you're aware of them or not.
22:48
I'm just going to let you know that.
22:51
Number 29, guys, thought patterns define behavior.
22:56
Repeated thoughts become repeated actions.
22:59
Those actions become habits.
23:03
And habits eventually define your lifestyle.
23:05
Changing your future begins by changing your daily
23:08
thinking.
23:09
So let's start doing that now.
23:12
When we change our thinking, life changes.
23:14
Expectations become a big part of who we
23:17
are, guys.
23:18
They become a big part of who we
23:19
are because for whatever reason, again, we get
23:22
stuck in this doldrum of like, what am
23:25
I supposed to do, guys?
23:26
How am I going to do that?
23:28
And so expectations become reality in motion.
23:31
The greatest lesson, I think, from today's episode
23:36
is that expectation is never passive.
23:40
It influences your thinking.
23:44
It shapes your behavior.
23:47
It strengthens your habits.
23:49
And it determines your direction in life.
23:52
The future you build tomorrow begins with the
23:57
expectations you choose and set today.
24:01
That's a mouthful.
24:03
In closing, guys, and as I conclude here,
24:06
today's episode, remember this.
24:11
The future is not built by chance.
24:14
It's built by the expectations you nurture, the
24:16
beliefs you strengthen and cultivate, and the actions
24:19
you consistently repeat.
24:21
Every thought has the potential to influence your
24:23
direction.
24:24
And every decision either reinforces or redirects the
24:28
life you're creating.
24:30
Choose expectations that encourage growth instead of fear.
24:34
Build beliefs that strengthen your confidence instead of
24:38
limiting your potential.
24:41
Most importantly, take action, daily action, that reflects
24:46
the future you truly want to experience.
24:50
And I know that's going to be hard
24:52
because it's going to be what?
24:54
Uncomfortable.
24:55
I said success happens where we become uncomfortable.
25:00
We have to practice getting comfortable being uncomfortable.
25:05
A lot of people don't want to hear
25:06
that, but that's the whole secret, guys.
25:11
If we want to get that skeleton out
25:13
of the closet, we have to realize that
25:15
comes down to the fact that we have
25:18
to take a chance.
25:20
We have to believe in ourselves.
25:23
We have to believe in our mission.
25:26
We have to not be afraid to fail
25:28
and not be afraid to succeed because we
25:32
can always tweak things along the way.
25:35
That is a priceless lesson that many people
25:39
never learn.
25:43
Expectation shapes our lives.
25:47
Expectation.
25:49
What is expectation?
25:51
I think that's probably a good way to
25:52
define it.
25:53
If we go over to Merriam-Webster, or
25:57
I usually go over to Merriam-Webster, and
26:00
I look up expectation, I can tell you
26:02
something about it.
26:04
Expectation, according to Merriam-Webster, actually is a
26:12
noun.
26:13
It absolutely is a noun.
26:17
And it's waiting in expectation of what would
26:23
happen.
26:23
So expecting, the act of or state of
26:27
expecting is anticipation.
26:29
What is that?
26:31
Anticipation, a prior action that takes into account
26:36
or forestalls a later action.
26:38
The act of looking forward to something, pleasurable
26:41
expectation.
26:42
Maybe you're going to a movie.
26:43
Maybe you're going to meet a friend or
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going to go fishing or you're going to
26:47
study.
26:48
That perceived thing of looking forward to it
26:51
is the expectation.
26:54
Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you so much
26:57
for joining me because this has been another
27:00
amazing episode of Inspirations for Your Life.
27:04
I'm John C.
27:06
Morley, serial entrepreneur, engineer, marketing specialist, video producer,
27:10
podcast host, coach, keynote speaker, graduate student at
27:14
Montclair State University, passionate lifelong learner, and now
27:17
so grateful to be a published author.
27:20
Until next time, remember that direction always begins
27:23
in the mind before it appears in your
27:26
life.
27:26
Believe in your future, trust the process, stay
27:30
focused on your purpose, and continue taking intentional
27:33
steps forward every single day.
27:35
When your expectations align with your actions, your
27:39
life begins moving toward the future you've been
27:43
preparing to create.
27:45
Stay inspired, stay intentional.
27:48
And ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to see
27:50
you our next episode.
27:51
Be sure to check out BelieveMeAchieve.com for
27:54
more of my amazing, inspiring creations.
27:58
The time to start, ladies and gentlemen, is
28:00
now.