On Expectations

Share this article with your friends and family

I hear a lot of talk about expectations, especially in advice-giving scenarios.

“Your expectations were too high! That’s why you are disappointed!”

“Oh yep, high expectations will get you frustrated every time.”

I’m inclined to disagree.

What if our expectations didn’t only predict our reality, but created it?

Your level of expectation dictates your internal stretch. When we project our expectations onto ourselves and our horses, day in and day out, we start to believe in them. We start to see them as measures of our capability, as future predictors of what’s possible for us and our horses.

We create safety nets for ourselves that stop us from going all out. Trip wires that highlight that seed limiting belief that’s lurking below the surface.

“Good luck!” someone might call to you.

“I’ll probably stuff it up!” you shout back… despite the fact you really want to do well. Despite the fact you’ve been working really hard.

Safety nets we put up for ourselves… just in case. Just in case we can’t actually do what it is that we really want to do.

You achieve at the level you expect of yourself.

Want to know the catalyst to great change?

Set high expectations. Don’t adjust those. If you need to adjust anything, adjust your time frames.

Take notice of what comes up, of the safety nets you cast for yourself. Why is it that you are concerned to back yourself? What information does that give you and what are you going to do about it?

Expectations create reality.

Low expectations are a vacuum of nothingness that sucks you in little by little. You then take events from the past and use them as predictors of the future.

Your level of expectation determine the decisions that you make, the actions that you take and the amount of effort you invest in yourself and your horse.

Keep them high.

Make believing in yourself your highest priority. And surround yourself with people who believe in you also.

xx Jane

Have you checked out the Confident Rider Podcast? Don’t forget to subscribe to the show and share if you enjoyed it! The podcast is available on iTunes, Soundcloud, Google Play and Spotify.

Subscribe to The Confident Rider Podcast 🎧 below and discover why thousands of other riders are tuning in each week!

Join me for a free, 21-day challenge to incrementally expand your comfort zone and put some daily deposits in your Brave Bucket!