I’m not sure where I heard this one, but it’s so true.
Practice has never made me perfect, just make me quit.
When we set the expectation for kids (or ourselves) that by practicing we can be perfect, then what do you think happens when we platueu or just aren’t progressing very quickly? We give up.
However, when we instead set more realistic expectations of practice makes better, we can all appreciate that we are getting better as we practice, so are LESS inclines to quit in our down times.
As long as we are on the topic of expectations, let’s remember not to set our expectation bar too high. How many people do we know that never really got married until they were willing to realize that the “perfect package” was only found in fairy tales (and there was a reason that they called them fairy tales!).
Or for that matter, how many people still haven’t come to terms in their marriage with the realistic expectation that they won’t get everything that they want? You know he isn’t going to change the light bulb, so just stop asking, and stop getting frustrated about it. Is it really worth the strife? You know what I’m saying, right?
Expectations are one of those things that just don’t really serve us very well. In fact, when was the last time that an expectation did you any good?
Wow, wait a second. Time for a tangent. I actually didn’t realize that until just now. Perhaps, I should just stop setting expectations entirely. Think how much less frustrating life would be if we never set any expectations of ourselves or other people. If we just assumed that people would constantly let us down and not do what they said they would do.
First of all, we would certainly appreciate the people that do things for us much more. I guess if people didn’t do what they said they would do, we would just stop hanging around them. Wouldn’t that be better than the negative energy from the passive agressiveness or anger that we do when we are disappointed in someone?
Well, this one needs some thought. Maybe, I’ll just start small, and not make as many expectations on people as I did before. After all, practice makes better.