Confidence. Belief. Composure. Self-assurance. Each of these words could be a suitable enough title for the fifth and penultimate pillar of Personal Leadership. But they don’t start with a P, so…
POSITIVE EXPECTANCY
What is Positive Expectancy?
Having a Positive Expectancy indicates that the goal you have set for yourself is worth it in the long-run; that it will yield profitable results. However, like most of the previous pillars – Personal Responsibility, Purpose and Passion – Positive Expectancy can feel elusive and intangible. So how do we achieve Positive Expectancy?
The Path to Positive Expectancy
1. Engagement
If you have never poured a pint before it is likely that, even after instruction, your first attempt won’t be very good. You can read all the instruction manuals in the world, but nothing beats actually having a go. And you might suck. You might hold the glass too far away from the tap and pour a pint that’s mostly foam; or you might do the opposite, holding the glass too close and leaving no head at all. And that’s not even taking into account all the other pub related variables. “What if I spill?” “What if the barrel needs changing?” “What if the customer wants a Guinness instead of a lager?” “What’s Rioja?!”
All of these variables are going to impact that “perfect” pint, but unless you engage practically with what you are setting out to achieve, you will never attain the know-how required to feel confident in its outcome.
2. Knowledge and Experience
Doing something for the first time, especially as an adult, can be scary and frustrating because most of us don’t like to get things wrong. As an adult, getting things wrong can have dire consequences. Add to that the pressure of every one else’s perfectly curated social media selves and it makes absolute sense why many of us are apprehensive to make mistakes.
However, knowledge and experience are an essential part in achieving Positive Expectancy and so we must try and fail and try again if we’re are ever going reach our goals. And, *spoiler alert for next month’s blog* you have to be persistent.
3. Confidence
Okay, so you’ve engaged practically, you tried and failed and tried again, and now, at last, you know what you’re doing and how to do it! Doesn’t that feel great? Whether it be riding a bike, tying our shoelaces or pouring that aforementioned “perfect” pint, we develop confidence in our skills when know how to do them. And thus, we have reached Positive Expectancy: that the goal you have set for yourself will be worth it in the long run. Now all of that was a lot of words, so…
To summerise: Engagement leads to experience; experience leads to confidence; confidence leads you to Positive Expectancy.
Alright, so what else?
Affirmation
Affirmations are positive statements that can help you to overcome self-sabotaging and negative thoughts. Sort of like giving yourself a pep talk! It might feel exposing, or even cringe-inducing to voice your affirmations out loud, but similarly to planning, speaking your affirmations thrusts them into reality. You’ve said it, so you might as well believe it.
TOP TIPS:
Keep it simple: You don’t need to be delivering an affirmation monologue. Stick to the point. A sentence or two is ideal.
Keep it to yourself: Affirmations are often quite personal, so be sure to find a private space to express them.
Be adaptable: Be open and adaptable to changing your affirmations based on your own shifting needs. They are not a one-size-fits-all.
Visualisation
Visualisation is a technique used to create a mental picture of a future event. Again, this might seem a bit “woo-woo” nonsense, but to visualise the life you desire or the goals to wish to achieve is vital if you ever want them to actually happen.
Think about how many diversions and distractions can occur in a single day: bad weather; a broken dishwasher; a new Netflix series you just have to watch; a family emergency; a missed train; listening to yet another friend’s podcast! Life is busy and our brains are constantly being overstimulated. Before you know it, you’ve spent so much mental energy dealing with those urgent matters or “instant grats” that you’ve neglected the most important thing of all: your goal. Now, I’m not saying you should ignore your family or let the dishwasher flood the kitchen floor, but setting aside the time to visualise the life you desire will certainly help keep you on track.
Visualisation takes practice, but can become an important tool in preparing for smaller, short-term goals, while also generating inspiration and motivation for the bigger, long-term ones.
The benefits of Positive Expectancy
- Transforms you into a self-starter.
- Pushes you to develop your potential.
- Inspires you to use your imagination and creativity.
- Impels you to take purposeful action.
- Produces determination.
- Forces you to improve and change.
If a dream is a wish your heart makes, then Positive Expectancy is a practice you can use to turn that dream into a reality.
Next month will be the last in our series, so be sure to check back for the sixth and final pillar of persona leadership…persistence.
Confidence. Belief. Composure. Self-assurance. Each of these words could be a suitable enough title for the fifth and penultimate pillar of Personal Leadership. But they don’t start with a P, so…
POSITIVE EXPECTANCY
What is Positive Expectancy?
Having a Positive Expectancy indicates that the goal you have set for yourself is worth it in the long-run; that it will yield profitable results. However, like most of the previous pillars – Personal Responsibility, Purpose and Passion – Positive Expectancy can feel elusive and intangible. So how do we achieve Positive Expectancy?
The Path to Positive Expectancy
1. Engagement
If you have never poured a pint before it is likely that, even after instruction, your first attempt won’t be very good. You can read all the instruction manuals in the world, but nothing beats actually having a go. And you might suck. You might hold the glass too far away from the tap and pour a pint that’s mostly foam; or you might do the opposite, holding the glass too close and leaving no head at all. And that’s not even taking into account all the other pub related variables. “What if I spill?” “What if the barrel needs changing?” “What if the customer wants a Guinness instead of a lager?” “What’s Rioja?!”
All of these variables are going to impact that “perfect” pint, but unless you engage practically with what you are setting out to achieve, you will never attain the know-how required to feel confident in its outcome.
2. Knowledge and Experience
Doing something for the first time, especially as an adult, can be scary and frustrating because most of us don’t like to get things wrong. As an adult, getting things wrong can have dire consequences. Add to that the pressure of every one else’s perfectly curated social media selves and it makes absolute sense why many of us are apprehensive to make mistakes.
However, knowledge and experience are an essential part in achieving Positive Expectancy and so we must try and fail and try again if we’re are ever going reach our goals. And, *spoiler alert for next month’s blog* you have to be persistent.
3. Confidence
Okay, so you’ve engaged practically, you tried and failed and tried again, and now, at last, you know what you’re doing and how to do it! Doesn’t that feel great? Whether it be riding a bike, tying our shoelaces or pouring that aforementioned “perfect” pint, we develop confidence in our skills when know how to do them. And thus, we have reached Positive Expectancy: that the goal you have set for yourself will be worth it in the long run. Now all of that was a lot of words, so…
To summerise: Engagement leads to experience; experience leads to confidence; confidence leads you to Positive Expectancy.
Alright, so what else?
Affirmation
Affirmations are positive statements that can help you to overcome self-sabotaging and negative thoughts. Sort of like giving yourself a pep talk! It might feel exposing, or even cringe-inducing to voice your affirmations out loud, but similarly to planning, speaking your affirmations thrusts them into reality. You’ve said it, so you might as well believe it.
TOP TIPS:
Keep it simple: You don’t need to be delivering an affirmation monologue. Stick to the point. A sentence or two is ideal.
Keep it to yourself: Affirmations are often quite personal, so be sure to find a private space to express them.
Be adaptable: Be open and adaptable to changing your affirmations based on your own shifting needs. They are not a one-size-fits-all.
Visualisation
Visualisation is a technique used to create a mental picture of a future event. Again, this might seem a bit “woo-woo” nonsense, but to visualise the life you desire or the goals to wish to achieve is vital if you ever want them to actually happen.
Think about how many diversions and distractions can occur in a single day: bad weather; a broken dishwasher; a new Netflix series you just have to watch; a family emergency; a missed train; listening to yet another friend’s podcast! Life is busy and our brains are constantly being overstimulated. Before you know it, you’ve spent so much mental energy dealing with those urgent matters or “instant grats” that you’ve neglected the most important thing of all: your goal. Now, I’m not saying you should ignore your family or let the dishwasher flood the kitchen floor, but setting aside the time to visualise the life you desire will certainly help keep you on track.
Visualisation takes practice, but can become an important tool in preparing for smaller, short-term goals, while also generating inspiration and motivation for the bigger, long-term ones.
The benefits of Positive Expectancy
- Transforms you into a self-starter.
- Pushes you to develop your potential.
- Inspires you to use your imagination and creativity.
- Impels you to take purposeful action.
- Produces determination.
- Forces you to improve and change.
If a dream is a wish your heart makes, then Positive Expectancy is a practice you can use to turn that dream into a reality.
Next month will be the last in our series, so be sure to check back for the sixth and final pillar of persona leadership…persistence.