I love the story I’m about to share, as it makes the point, I’m wanting to communicate, perfectly. Many young people around the world are looking to explore the possibility of a career in the military, but, are unsure which path to take. On one particular occasion, an event had been organised for interested young people to be addressed by officers from each of the armed services; Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. The job of these officers was to promote their particular branch of defence and recruit new candidates.
Each officer had up to 30 minutes to talk to the group and do their best to sell their particular branch of the services. The Army General got up and took about 25 minutes to explain how great the Army was, the opportunities that would be available and why they should join. He finished, got off stage and the Admiral in the Navy was next. The Admiral spoke for his entire allotted 30 minutes about a life at sea, the wonderful opportunities in the Navy and why they should choose that particular armed service. When he was finished, it was time for the Captain in the Air-Force to talk. This man was very passionate and spoke for more than his 30 minutes about the romantic escapades of the Air Force, the vital role they play in national defence and why this was the best military service.
Finally the Sergeant Major from the Marines walked up and to the front of the stage. He stood there for about two minutes, just looking around the room at every young person sitting there. When he finally spoke, this is what he said, ‘Looking around the room, I don’t see anyone I believe is tough enough, courageous enough or who would qualify for a career in the Marines. If you disagree with me and want to prove me wrong, I’ll be over in the corner to discuss it.’ With that, he walked off stage and went over to his table to wait for the rush.
After all four officers had spoken, it was time for the young people in the audience to go to the particular branch of the armed forces, they were interested in, to get more information. Guess where the vast majority of the young people went? Yep, they went straight over to the Marine division to find out more, because they all thought they were tough enough, courageous enough and wanted to prove the Sergeant Major wrong.
It’s all about attitude!
Why is it that, whilst the other three officers spoke so passionately, gave so much information and were so compelling, the vast majority of the people went to the Marines, when, the Sergeant Major only spent three minutes on stage, and spoke for less than one? Well, it’s a little like feeding seagulls on the beach. The first three officers ran at the crowd trying to force feed their military service to them, consequently the crowd ran the other way. The Sergeant Major of the Marines, on the other hand, sprinkled a few bread crumbs on the ground and just expected that the crowd would come after them. He was right. It was all about expectancy and attitude.
So, what’s the point? The point is this; you will not necessarily get what you want, hope for, deserve or even chase. You will – every time – get what you expect. I speak to aspiring authors all the time about what they want to get from writing a book. I ask them if they want to make lots of money, and, they often respond, ‘That would be nice, but I don’t expect to make money.’ I ask them if they want to have their book made into a blockbuster movie, and, they regularly say, ‘That would be amazing, but, I don’t think it will be good enough.’ I ask them how they would like to get their book published, and they most often tell me, ‘I’d love to get it traditionally published, but I’ll probably just self-publish because it’s so hard to find a publisher.’
Can you see the problem here? The expectation of a person, in any area, will determine the effort they apply to get the results they believe are possible for them. The aspiring author who doesn’t expect to make money, won’t push to do what’s required to make an abundant income. The aspiring author who doesn’t expect to get published won’t persist through the rejections to find the one publisher who will invest in their book. The aspiring author who doesn’t expect to have a movie made, won’t!!
My attitude is this, it’s just as easy to expect success as it is to expect mediocrity, so why not simply expect wild success? There are people in every industry, and, in every pursuit, who are wildly successful. The only difference between them and those who don’t achieve the same level, is expectation. Most people hope things will turn out, and, when they don’t say, ‘I knew that wouldn’t work,’ ‘I expected that would be the outcome,’ ‘I didn’t really expect to be successful.’ Can I tell you loud and clear – as wonderful as hope is – it’s not a strategy for success in life. You are good enough. You can do anything you want. All you need to do is expect success.
The very moment you raise your expectation, is the same moment you will start achieving more in your life. Expect to have a successful business, and you will do more to make it happen. Expect to write a best-selling book, then you will write with purpose, passion, and do what's necessary to get the result. Expect that you are good enough, and you will be. Expect that life will flow smoothly and you will live it as you desire, and it will happen. You hold the key to the success you want, in your hands. Yes, it will take work, but then, doesn’t everything? If you put hope in your pocket and do the work with the expectation of great things, then – trust me – it will happen for you. From today and forevermore, stop hoping and start expecting!
