Great Expectations
When I rather reflexively wrote the headline to this story, I immediately worried that it might elevate your expectations of it. Invoking Dickens is dangerous territory for a writer. You could expect a literary magnum opus and, if that’s the case, then you’ll surely be disappointed. On the other hand, you might be pleased to find this story is not the sort of hefty tome with which you could prop open a door or perch your monitor on.
Generally speaking, I’m not the sort of bloke who likes to set expectations too high. I prefer to under-promise, over-deliver. Life, I’ve often said to friends and colleagues, is expectation management. It’s a defensive strategy, yes. That way, I can only surprise you. I employ a similar attitude in dealings with others, hoping they’ll surprise me. And it’s an approach I actively use with movies, mainly as a counterbalance to the Hollywood hype machine. It was due to the absence of expectation that the 1989 Al Pacino vehicle, Sea of Love, remains among my most enjoyable viewing experiences – I turned on the TV one weekday night in high school with the movie about a quarterway through. I had no previous knowledge of the film, its genre or plot and little appreciation of Pacino’s standing as one of the giants of 20th century American cinema. Instead, I was able to enjoy the film on its considerable merits. For similar reasons, I often hesitate to give glowing recommendations of movies or TV shows to others. I don’t want to set them up for disappointment.
You might have found yourself employing a similarly guarded, possibly cynical and certainly pessimistic approach to all sorts of events and experiences in your life. It’s easy to let the world around you turn you into a cowering misanthrope. But here’s the thing: that won’t do you any favours. In fact, when it comes to the expectations you have of yourself, it might be best to anchor your gaze at the ceiling rather than the floor.
You’ve no doubt heard of the placebo effect: patients who take a dummy treatment believing it’s real actually see relief from their symptoms. That same principle can be applied and harnessed to give you an intrinsic advantage in challenges you face at work, during exercise, while playing sports, in your relationships and even in your leisure time. That’s because your mind and body are
