One of the men I have the honor of coaching, Josh Landry of Gables in Houston, relayed the following story to me. After attending church one Sunday, he and his family decided to stop by a Sonic drive in and pick up some burgers for lunch. While pulling into the parking lot, a car which seemed to be in a real hurry, pulled out in front of him. Being "the nice, polite man" he knew he needed to be he motioned for them to go in front of him. Well, it didn't take long before he really wished he hadn't motioned for them to go ahead. It seems the occupants in this car decided to order the entire menu for lunch! Josh said they waited and waited and waited. Now frustrated and becoming agitated he was not feeling especially "nice and polite", instead was quickly resenting the fact he had even thought of being "nice and polite". Tempted to get out of his car and walk up  to see what the hold up was, they moved on and Josh pulled up to receive his meal. When he rolled his window down expecting to pay, the person at the window said, "You don't owe anything, the car in front of you paid for your meal". Now what was he feeling?

You and I both have heard the expression we get what we expect. What happens when we're surprised because we didn't get what we expected? When is the last time you expected the best case scenario from someone or some situation? Better yet, when was the last time you went looking for the best in someone or some situation? As a society and individuals we are guilty of being focused on the negative and ignoring the positive. We do it with our kids and they interpret what we do as, 'it's better not to waste time doing well because my parents won't notice anyway." Is it any different with employees? With them they often hear, "You should have known...you knew what I was expecting." Really?

When you seek and look for the positive you encourage the exploration of possibilities. The possibility of a better attitude, encouraging words, courage, excitement, energy and the desire to meet problems head on. Walk into any establishment, any company, any family and you will be able to tell if it's one that looks for and expects the worst or anticipates the positive.

We have to learn to change our expectations to anticipations. Anticipate the positive instead of expecting the worst and see what happens. See what happens with your kids, your spouse, your employees, your company. The difference will surprise you.

Who knows, you may experience the same grace Josh and his family got for lunch.

rb

I'm a sucker for surprises like these. My favorite is the couple on the mountain in the snow. Enjoy.