Expectations Create Reality

Last week, I wrote about the similarity between compound interest in investing and the role of timespan in fitness. There are many overlaps between financial planning and what I would call “fitness planning,” and I plan to explore five key elements this June. This week, I want to talk about expectations and vision.

Just to recap, I was inspired to write these posts when tax season was over and I found myself inspired to be more organized, proactive, and strategic this year with my finances. In this thought process, I suddenly realized how similar financial behaviors are to fitness behaviors. While the first trait I explored had to do with lifetime of investment, the second trait is more about the “inner game” – mindset.

Your Expectations Create Reality

Whether or not you believe in the Law of Attraction, there is no doubt that the level of your expectations impacts the results that you enjoy, whether your endeavors are in the field of finances, fitness, or even relationships, for that matter. Why?

Whether you attribute your increased success to the Law of Attraction or not, no one could disagree that when you change the way you think, you change the way you act… and actions have a funny way of leading to results in a rather “magical” way…

The problem is that when our mindset is negative (or at best, “realistic”), we often are not aware of the micro-decisions we make that impact outcomes. Whether you are trying to get out of debt or lose 20 pounds, approaching the goal with a self-punishing, limiting, or small mindset may allow you to reach your goal, but it certainly will not allow you to surpass it — or perhaps even maintain it.

You Are Not a Victim

Whether you are dealing with finances or physical fitness, personal responsibility is key. You are not a victim of circumstances. You do steer your own ship to a certain degree, and it begins with your mentality.

Just as I did in the first post, I have created two composite characters that provide real-world examples of how expanding your expectations impacts your results:

Lucy was a full-time high school teacher. She worked hard to create meaningful and effective activities, projects, and assessments for her students, and she often had after-school commitments, such as the honors society that she sponsored. Even though she stayed on her feet quite a bit throughout the day and her FitBit said she took enough steps, there were often “treats” in the teacher’s lounge that were hard to resist. When Lucy turned 30, she decided that she wanted to course-correct the weight gain that she had experienced throughout her twenties. She decided that 10 pounds was an ideal goal to start, and because both of her parents and her sister were overweight, she knew that she needed to be realistic about her outlook on weight loss, because she would “never be tiny.” She eliminated all sugar from her diet, and did lose the 10 pounds that she wanted to lose, rather quickly. However, she struggled to maintain the weight loss – any time she “indulged” more than once or twice a week, she found that some weight crept back on. Within just a few months, she had regained the weight, and she assumed that her “natural” weight was to be “bigger.” 

John also taught at Lucy’s school. He also cared about his students’ progress and sponsored an after school activity. Another thing that John had in common with Lucy was that all of the members of his immediate family were overweight. However, John had had a “crisis moment” with his weight in college, when his father suffered a heart attack in his 50’s. Although his father recovered after a scary surgery, John looked in the mirror that week and knew that no matter how much work it took, he needed to gain the skills to manage a healthy weight and diet for life. John was not “realistic” – he believed that there was a fit, healthy man waiting to be revealed, and his change in exercise and eating supported that belief. He had a clear vision of being able to do push-ups and chin-ups, running races, and playing actively with his future children. Inspired by his vision, he dedicated himself to making a fit and healthy lifestyle work within his schedule. 10 years later, John continued to maintain his active lifestyle that supported his vision. While his physique was unbelievably lean (especially considering his former weight), what was even more incredible was that his health readings defied the stereotype of someone for whom blood sugar and blood pressure issues “run in the family” – he had a clean bill of health at every doctor’s appointment. 

What’s the lesson to be learned from Lucy and John?

This is where fitness is incredibly similar to finances. If you play it small, you will get small (or no) results. If you play it big, you risk a lot, but you will reap proportionate rewards. Lucy did the equivalent of saving a few dollars a day, while John did the equivalent of investing and getting a big payout.

Practice expanding your vision and increasing your expectations. If you expect thousands, you’ll get it. If you expect millions, you’ll get it. Think bigger. Don’t worry about being “realistic” about your results, because your results will be “realistic” to the level of the work that you put in.

Mixed Messages?

I can already hear a few people reading this and saying, “Hey, isn’t this a different conclusion from last week’s blog post?”

While I can see and follow that reasoning, the answer is no. They are not contradictory. You might be noticing that John, from this week, did an extreme life overhaul much like the character of Evan last week. However, it would seem that Evan was the “bad example” while John is the “good example.”

However, I never said that Evan was a “bad example.” He simply made a change in mid-life that would have benefited him even more early in life, but a radical life overhaul is never necessarily a bad thing. He simply would have had a healthier metabolism had he made the change sooner.

If you want to follow my reasoning more accurately, let’s look instead at the two female examples for contrast. Last week, Ashley had been depositing in her “fitness bank account” for a lifetime. Because her vision for her life was an active one, her unconscious “set point” allowed her to enjoy a fit and healthy lifestyle. Lucy, from this week, had not been depositing her fitness bank account at all, and instead of changing the whole picture (like an Ashley), she did the equivalent of saving, but not investing, a few dollars a day. She was, as the Ben Franklin saying goes, “Penny-wise and pound-foolish.”

The Importance of Vision and Belief

It never occurred to Lucy that she could be really, truly fit. Because of the limits of her beliefs — because she could not see herself as lean and athletic  (which she negatively framed as “tiny”), Lucy could not access the internal resources that she would have needed to make such a change. She played it small, and gave up when the rewards were equally small.

John, on the other hand, could see himself in the future. He had vision and clarity. This clear image inspired him and pushed him to reframe his entire life so that he could achieve his goal. He did not feel limited by his goal. Instead, he felt expanded.

The lesson? Lift up your vision. Get a clear image of what you want to achieve, and let the sky be the limit.