Are You Hoping Or Expecting?

"It is only through your conscious mind that you can reach the subconscious. Your conscious mind is the porter at the door, the watchman at the gate. It is to the conscious mind that the subconscious looks for all its impressions." n— Robert Collier: Self-help author

Are you hoping that your life will improve in a certain area, or are you expecting it to get better? There is a big difference between hoping and expecting. This difference will determine whether or not you achieve your goals.

Many people believe that hope and expectation are the same thing. However, they are worlds apart. Let me illustrate. If a woman hopes to get pregnant, that is completely different from a woman who is expecting. Here are some of the key differentiators:

Purpose. Hope is a motivator, while expectation is an activator. Both play key roles in vision; however, their roles are not the same. For example, when you hope to get a promotion on the job, you may decide to work nights and weekends, volunteer for more projects, and express your interest to the hiring manager. It is clear in this situation that hope is motivating you to take action. Expectation, on the other hand, already believes that you have taken the necessary steps to achieve the promotion. In other words, your past success has already placed in you in the position. It's only a matter of time before you actually have the title.

Degree of Certainty. Hope is something that you desire; whereas, expectation is something that you anticipate. You hope that something may happen, but you expect that something will happen.

Timing of Action. Hope is anticipation of future action. If you are currently performing the action, hope is unsure of the desired outcome occurring. Expectation, however, is a "belief about (or mental picture of) the future" based upon an action that has already been taken or is currently taking place.

In conclusion, consider how the farmer behaves. He plows, plants, and waters in expectation of the harvest. However, if he were only hoping that a harvest would appear, how would he behave? Would he plant the entire crop? I think not. Would he continue to water day after day, week after week, and month after month? The answer is no, of course not. That's why I'm encouraging you today to start expecting results. Use your hope to drive your action, but don't forget to act.