Great Expectations Getting You Down?
Have you ever felt let down because things just didn’t go your way? Maybe you didn’t get first place in the competition, failed to get that special guy or girl’s attention, didn’t get that promotion at work, or maybe you lost a client due to factors that were out of your control. Well, welcome to the real world, a place where feelings of disappointment are all too familiar when reality falls short of our expectations. Though it is undeniable that having high expectations can sometimes be a powerful motivator, sometimes when not kept in-check, these same high expectations can also set us up for great disappointment affecting our quality of life. So, what exactly is the relationship between reality, expectations and disappointment, anyway? Renowed entrepreneur and author, Chip Conley, boils down this abstract human emotion using a concrete, mathematical formula which can be expressed as, “Disappointment = Expectations – Reality.” The math is simple and seems broadly applicable to practically any scenario—by tempering our expectations we reframe our outlook, effectively avoiding setting ourselves up for disappointment and consequently we end up being happier with the cards reality deals us.
In many ways, the Disappointment Formula directly contradicts the “bigger, better mentality” of the modern day society in which we live—a society that often pushes us to have unnaturally high expectations occasionally causing us to lose sight of what is important. This being said,consider for a moment how a basic understanding of this alternative mindset could help us all enjoy more fulfilling lives. We could strengthen client relationships, learn to better manage difficult situations and make better business decisions; all due to following this simple ideology that allows us to see the bigger picture and thus better prioritize. Here are a few ways you can make strides toward embracing this way of thinking: (1) start trying to put everyday realities into perspective, for example, the next time something doesn’t go the way you planned ask yourself, Will this still be important 5 or 10 years from now?. Most of the time you will likely find that in the grand scheme of things it is not the end of the world; (2) Another way to help keep things in perspective is to start making a point of appreciating all the small things we so often take for granted; (3) Finally, in business some find it useful to adhere to the philosophy of “under-promise, over-deliver” in helping to better manage the expectations of clients, co-workers, vendors, etc.
Here at Trusted Translations we understand that no two translation projects are alike. For this reason, we always evaluate on a project-by-project basis, striving to always set the right expectations for our clients each and every time. Contact us today for a free quote!