This topic has come up 2-3 times this week, so I thought it might merit an entire post.
Expectations.
We can’t copy/paste them.
Let me add some context…
A couple weeks ago I was talking with a gym client about workout frequency.
Three times per week seems like a fair frequency, right?
Sure, it’s about every other day.
However, I don’t want you to copy/paste your workout frequency across all 52 weeks of the year.
The week of Christmas is probably going to be pretty tough to get that in…
You get sick for a couple days with the flu, that’s going to be hard to get in three workouts, if any.
Your mom is in the hospital and you need to fly down to Florida to see her, no way three workouts are happening that week.
I think it’s great to have habits and goals, but we can’t copy/paste expectations across the entire year, it needs to be fluid, ebb and flow for what’s going on in life.
Now, I’m not saying you can lean back and coast and always make excuses, but you definitely need to look at the month, and the week, and ask yourself “what is challenging, yet realistic?”
Yesterday Coach Chris brought his wife in, Sarah, and they did a presentation to the team about what makes strong relationships.
A lot of the discussion came back to communication and not carrying the same expectations through different stages of life.
In college going out with friends 2-3 times per week was normal….
Once you enter the “real world” you might go out once a week, and the responsibilities outside of your job are minimal….
Then you start to stack on a career, a house, pets, and kids…
Megan and I have been communicating recently…
We can’t copy/paste the expectations we had for quality time with each other, stress levels, etc to three years ago when our entire family was made up of the two of us and a laid back black lab.
Today we’re balancing two kids, one who is exploring his boundaries as every two-year does, and one who is exploring her first couple weeks on earth, on top of everything with my businesses.
Our expectations as a family on every level need to be completely different.
Now, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t push to get better, challenge each other to communicate better, and assure we’re taking care of ourselves, but the expectations are totally different.
The final conversation that came up about this was in business…
Our business is approaching a decade, 10 years old.
The expectations can’t be copy/pasted year over year…
What we can deliver consistently with 400 clients compared to 4 clients when I first started is drastically different.
We need to keep the standards high, always striving to get better, but assure we can deliver a consistent experience across every single client interaction.
That changes expectations of everything we would love to do.
When I first started Josh and I were it (he was an intern).
We would be together 14+ hours a day, communicating non-stop.
Now, if we want to do something, we need to make sure 10 people are clear about it, understand it, and are bought in.
Now, that certainly comes with a lot of positives…
For example, together with our clients, we were able to help almost 100 families with Christmas presents this year.
We were able to donate over $10,000 to local charities this year alone…
We are able to provide amazing jobs for our team members….
We are able to help a lot of people change their lives, and that is the most rewarding.
But the expectations can’t be the same…
In doesn’t matter what area of life we’re talking about…
I’m all for getting better, as you know, I want to keep challenging myself and everyone around me, but I also want to make sure we’re adjusting expectations accordingly.
1% Better.
Dedicated to Your Success,
Doug Spurling