Anticipation . . . Is Keeping Me Waiting
By Kelli Calabrese
From the time I was a little girl my dad would tell me I did things too fast. I walked too fast, made decisions too fast, and when I got my license I drove too fast. I picked out our wedding song a week after our first date. In less than 48 hours we made a home purchase in a state we knew nothing about. The last vehicle I bought, I drove the car from the back of the building to the front and then drove it home. I seem to spend 10% of the time making the decision and 90% of the time making it work.
I believe I do some things fast because I have a feeling, a knowing, a leading, some intuition that the decision is right. I only know to take one step and then put one foot in front of the other, I couldn’t’ possibly have known what the outcome would be when we decided to start a family. Nor could I have predicted the details of designing and building our home, or what the experience would be like when in a moment’s notice I agreed to go to Italy by myself in Phil’s absence to speak to Sir Richard Branson’s personal trainers.
Thankfully most of the decisions I made were very good ones, however looking back, there were plenty that seemed painful, wasteful, costly and even dumb. I can identify many decisions that did not turn out the way I anticipated. I could call those decisions mistakes, and some I would even say I regret, but not a one was remorseful. Not the first car accident or the second. Not the first flood or the third, not my husband’s employment or a costly law suit. Every one of them could have been avoidable looking back, but they were meant to be. They are all life lessons that have brought me closer to the realization that my joy should not be a factor of my circumstances or even my decision making.
Your circumstances are all a direct reflection of your decisions. Somewhere along the way you made a decision that brought you exactly to where you are in every area of your life. At the time, you anticipated it was a good decision. I don’t know a single person who anticipated what marriage, retirement, or having a baby was like and was right on target.
I believe a lot of people look at their lives and think that it’s not at all what they imagined. They may have anticipated a bigger house, a stunning spouse, a more prestigious career, an athletic body and money to spare. It’s the American dream. Anticipation does not always match reality and we sometimes wonder how we wound up with the struggles or we have.
We need anticipation. Without anticipation you will achieve low.You are guaranteed to miss the mark. I doubt there is a single professional sports player who at some point didn’t anticipate making it to the big leagues. With positive and encouraging anticipation you can achieve much even if the outcome turns out different that you had anticipated.
If you are anticipating with fear the thought of public speaking, you will likely never enjoy or be a good public speaker. If you anticipate with worry what it will be like to own your own studio or have employees, you can pretty well guarantee you’ll never have to worry about owning a studio or having employees.
Some of the mistakes I have made in the past have caused me to do things differently today such as read legal contracts more carefully before I sign them, not exceed the speed limit, maintain a home warranty, floss and redefine my need and greed. Because of things I didn’t anticipate, I now have experienced life lesson that have forever changed me in a positive way.
Do your best to anticipate what a situation or a decision will bring and then take action to work towards the best possible outcomes, even in situations that seem dark. You can anticipate that a business minded trainer will eventually leave and attempt to take your clients with them. You can anticipate that the more successful you are, the more likely competition will move in to share in the wealth.
For those who have to know the who, what, when, where, why and how before making I decision, I encourage you to have more faith. There are times when after anticipating, the decision makes no sense logically, but feels right. There may be times when the outcome is uncertain, but following your sense seems correct.
I’m not suggesting you go out and do something totally crazy but if what you are doing is not working and you keep finding yourself in the same situation, only worse, dig down deep and anticipate your next best move. If we could see the future and know the outcomes of decisions, big or small, we would probably change some things, but its our own decision making that builds character. Anticipate that the outcome will be for the greatest good because it will! Be passionately optimistic knowing the outcome is exactly the one it’s supposed to be.
I anticipate 2011 will be the year that you continue to rise above the sea of trainers to land on the proverbial platform that Phil has created. And on that platform you have the opportunity to affect more people and positively change more lives while enjoying the lifestyle it affords you.