EXPECTATIONS!

Expectation implies confidently believing, usually for good reasons, that an event will occur!

I had quite a week last week. My Aunt Mary died (my mom's sister), I was in the final stage of preparing for the Youth Marathon Program I have been working on most of the year, I continued working on my book, while planning for a cancer teen retreat this coming weekend in Charleston. It was a week of highs and lows with general stress and stress eating.  As has happened during my journey some good came out of it for me.

As I stood with my four brothers and cousin (we were pallbearers at my Aunt's funeral) in front of Blessed Sacrament Church, I realized how fortunate we were to be the family we are. I was thankful for having my aunt and cousins in my life. I was thankful for my family and realized my brothers and I had all seen a good degree of success in life. The word that jumped to my mind was "Expectations". I am proud of my brothers and their success in life, but none of that would have happened without the 'expectations' of our parents.

My parents had many simple expectations of us as we grew up together. We were expected to go to church on Sundays, to behave well at all times, to do well in school, to say Sir and Ma'am, to say Please and Thank You, to pay attention to people, to listen more than be heard, to do the dishes and take out the trash, and most importantly to take care of each other as part of the Campbell Family. MY brothers and I are fondly referred to as 'the boys' by my mom, dad, family, and family friends. My Aunt Mary had picked us as a group to be pallbearers at her funeral with my cousin, Louis. Within the boys we have only one expectation: we can mess with each other, but no one messes with us! And believe me, we do mess with each other unmercifully.

The bottom line expectation of my parents was that we would be good people. While there are 'moments' I question our goodness (specifically mine), we are generally good people. My parents had many more expectations of us as we grew up that gave us all the foundation and opportunity to lead successful lives. With their expectations and unconditional love  we have done well.

I think this is why 'expectations' is a key word in my vocabulary. I had certain expectations of ME during my journey of health and fitness. I have expected to change to healthier habits, to eat smarter, to exercise more, and to log. My parents expectations of my brothers and me, and my expectations of ME are all part of the roadmap/foundation to any success we/I have seen in life.

I am thankful for the 'expectations' my parents had of me during my life! THEY HAVE SERVED ME WELL!

Note to ME and You: Set specific expectations so you will 'confidently believe your event will occur'!

Expecting Success, TheFatGuy

My next blog will be 'Consequences'