“A Wonderful Gift May Not Be Wrapped As You Expect” ~ Jonathan Lockwood Huie
I am using a desk in a hotel room facing the ocean. I can hear the sound of the ocean, waterfall, and birds. I am here to celebrate the 7th anniversary with my partner in Maui.
Maui is notorious for its high price. Inflation certainly doesn’t help. Coming from the Bay Area, I still got sticker shocks in super markets and in restaurants. I kept thinking about how expensive everything is. When I focus my mind on the scarcity of money, I couldn’t really relax to enjoy myself in the first two days. (Yes, it took me two days. I’m still a human 😁)
As a coach, I knew I needed to do mind-hacking!
I adjusted my expectations – for things to be doubling the price: a $20 sandwich is just about right. A meal less than $80 for two is a steal!
Of course, many things still go way beyond my range. Sometimes I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and turned it into a worthwhile experience! Sometimes I just said no thank-you knowing that my range has been stretched a bit in a good way.
Thinking this way, I started to enjoy Maui and my time here so much more.
Oftentimes, it’s not really about the thing but our expectation of the thing that changes everything.
One of my clients felt he’s always behind on everything he wanted to do. I helped him prioritize the tasks based on what’s draining and what’s filling his energy. For what’s draining his energy, either remove, outsource, or delegate them. And, for the things that’s filling his energy, just DOUBLE the time he thinks he’ll need. He then started to knock his important tasks out with ease and quality.
What have your expectations getting in the way?
What can you change to help you truly enjoy the experience?
Love,
Wen