What Are Your Expectations?

When you look at your life or your children’s lives, what do you see? Do you see status quo, comfort, or boring repetition?  Do you wake up feeling alive, excited, and fulfilled about your life or do you hate the thought of getting out of bed because it’s just another day?  I find in my life I have to keep expecting more and stretching to live up to my truest potential. Nobody else will do it for me. When I stop expecting more, both my son with special needs and I begin to stagnate. Ask yourself do you keep evolving toward a better self? What kind of expectations do you have for yourself and children? 

Your Expectations Serve As Life's Barometer 

I will never forget one time I was asked by one of my neighbors to help her with her child’s IEP. It was a difficult undertaking and the goals she had set for her child were very high. I hate to say it but I had my doubts. By the time we got finished, the IEP had been set up with high expectations.  In the end, the child upon graduation from high school, successfully completed a four year college degree. When we started that was nothing more than a remote “dream or hope."  That child is now a grown woman and she and her mother never stopped believing in her giftedness. Today she is gainfully employed and living a more fulfilled life than most people I know. 

What You Expect, You Will Receive

When I sat there during the IEP, I knew I was acting somewhat on faith. I was advocating for a child to achieve something that there was little evidence to support. Her mother and I did it anyway. When we got done with the IEP, I found a card a few days later in my mailbox from my neighbor.  I opened the envelop and it said, “Neglect not the gift within thee.” (I Timothy 4:14) Have you discovered your gifts and are they exceeding your expectations? 

The Human Spirit Will Amaze You

I framed the card and I look at it everyday. It reminds me of the gifts, not only in others, but the ones inside of me that I have been charged to realize. 

It is easy to advocate for what everyone else believes or what the test scores say about your child. In all of the cases that I have been involved in as an advocate, I can honestly say that the test scores, academics, and GPAs speak very little as to what the human spirit is capable of. 

In your own life are you an example to your children of someone that has high expectations and dreams that you are continuously stretching toward? Think about it. Is all that potential remaining just potential or are you realizing the gifts within you? Have you been railroaded into believing what others say or following everyone else's expectations for you? Keep growing and changing in your life.  You will be amazed at all the gifts and what you will discover when you keep raising your expectations for both you and your children. 

Share below how you are realizing your gifts!