Believing in People: Expect

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but this year I’m making an end-of-the-year one, and that is to finish the Believing in People series I started several months ago. Seven short articles over two or three months would have been perfect, but I’ve struggled to find the motivation and focus to write. Therefore, we are at the end of the year with that last “E” left hanging.

Well, no more!

That “E” stands for Expect, as in expect the best (both for and from) others.

I’ve enjoyed writing this series and re-reading former articles in preparation for writing this final one. By way of a quick re-cap, here are a few slides highlighting some comments from previous posts. They are grouped in order, by topic and color for quick and easy access in case anyone missed or wants to review a specific post before finishing up with Expecting the Best.

BELIEVE

ENCOURAGE

LISTEN

INSPIRE

ENDURE

VISUALIZE

EXPECT

It’s funny how life often tends to give us not what we want but what we expect; that’s why its important to expect a lot! It works with people too. Whether it be teachers with students, parents with children, coaches with players, bosses with employees, or whatever other relationship, assuming the best about and expecting the best from others helps us treat them in ways that help bring out the best in them.

When someone expects the best from us, we are not only more motivated to give the best of ourselves, but we are also encouraged to hang in there when the going gets tough. No victory is won without struggle, but when we are the ones being challenged, it’s easy to become sidetracked and defeated.

Those who expect the best from us encourage us to hang in there, to keep striving, to become our best selves and not settle for anything less. They help us see the prize at the end instead of focusing on the drudgery in the middle.

In closing, I wish I had written this poem because it expresses perfectly what it means to be a believer in people.

Wishing you a beautiful and blessed New Year filled with all the joy and wonder of…

BELIEVING!

Until next time, Kim