I have been thinking a lot about how expectation can affect outcome lately. Here’s an example:

We were coming out of the grocery store here in the US, pushing our full cart. Before we were able to cross the driving lane in front to the lane where our car was parked, several cars crossed in front of us. We waited, a bit impatiently, I admit. I made some kind of internal comment along the lines of “you jerks.” Now, I am normally not a cranky person but for some reason I got cranky at their blithely driving along while I waited. I had expected that they would stop and allow me to cross.

Then, imagine the same scene in Mexico. There, I have no expectation that a car will wait and let me cross, so I don’t get cranky if they don’t, and I get a happy feeling when they do.

I believe that the illustration above shows that our response to a situation is influenced by our expectation of the situation.

I also believe that our expectations can influence the outcome of a situation. I have a positive outlook on life in general, but I am increasing my positive thoughts about the life change we are experiencing.

I believe we’ll sell our home without too much time and trouble. The drive down to Mexico with our menagerie will be fun. Friends and family from the US will come to visit us. We’ll find a great place to live in Mazatlan. And on and on and on….