TIPS & MINDSET SHIFTS for Managing New Year Expectations

Welcome to Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

I'm your host, Kevin Lowe, and I'm excited to welcome you inside.

This is the kind of place where your glass will never be anything other than half full because we choose to focus on the positive side of life.

Now, this doesn't mean that we shy away from the real talk.

No, not a chance.

Matter of fact, we explore all aspects of life.

From the good, the bad, and the ugly.

But all of that is done with one purpose.

One purpose to inspire you to never give up on life, even when it may seem like life has given up on you.

Now I get it, life is hard.

But starting today, you've got grit, grace, and inspiration.

What's going on, and welcome back to Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

My name is Kevin Lillo, your host, and hey, welcome back to the show.

Today it's episode 150, which, whoo, that seems like a pretty big number to me.

And uh, ooh, man, I'm feeling good about it.

I'm feeling real good.

Matter of fact, how are you feeling?

We are making our way right through January 2023.

And uh, whoo, baby, I'm feeling good, and I hope you are too.

Now, today's episode is about managing expectations.

Because I think when we embark on the new year, or really embark on anything new in life, we all have expectations.

Whether we actually speak them out loud or they're just kind of hidden away in our subconscious, we have a feeling, we have a dream, we have a vision for how it's all gonna go.

And today I want to talk about the importance of managing those expectations in regards to embarking on a new year.

If you missed the previous episode where I was doing a live coaching call with an amazing woman named Cynthia, I think the whole idea of managing expectations is so relevant to her story, just like it is to all of ours.

Because we tend to expect so much out of ourselves.

We are oftentimes the hardest on ourselves.

We expect the most out of us.

And with that being said, rarely do we give ourselves a break.

Now, Cynthia, she's pretty darn amazing and doing incredible things.

And so if you want to dive deep into a real life example of what we're talking about, please go back and check out her episode.

That was episode number 149.

It's been said that people oftentimes overestimate what they can do in one year and yet underestimate what they can do in 10.

I mentioned this because I want you to keep this in mind as you embark on this year ahead, or more specifically, as you set your expectations for what you want this year to be.

And my point here is that don't underestimate the power of a year.

Because this year could hold big things for you.

But at the same time, I don't want you to set your sight so high that you set yourself up for failure when all of those big dreams don't come true and all of those big goals don't get met.

That's okay.

So let's dive into this topic.

As we think about managing our expectations, I believe it's vitally important that we are mindful of our motivation.

What is it that is behind the goals, the expectations, the dreams that you have for the year?

Are these things that you want or things that you think other people would be happy for you to do?

Are these other people's expectations of you?

Because I want you to focus on what you truly want.

I want you to be motivated by things that are what are gonna make you happy, are gonna make you proud, are going to bring you joy.

This is not anyone else's life, this is your life, and this is your opportunity to live it.

So be mindful of your motivation when setting the goals for the year.

Next up, I feel it's so important for you to take the time to define what truly matters.

What do I mean?

What I mean is that if everything goes wrong this year, yeah, let's just say nothing goes right.

The year is a total train wreck.

What is it that truly matters?

What is it that matters the most in your life?

Now let's think of it differently.

What if everything goes amazing this year?

What if everything goes right?

What does that look like?

What does that mean happen?

What dreams were fulfilled?

And I believe the answer to that question of what truly matters lies somewhere in between all of that.

And that's for you to decide.

So again, define what it is that truly matters.

And that way, at the end of the year, be sure that those things are what you focused on, not all the other stuff.

Because as I said, there's a lot of things that can go wrong, but as long as we focus on what truly matters, then I believe everything's gonna be all right.

A huge tip I have for you with managing your expectations is to stay in the moment, to focus on the here and now.

Anxiety comes when we cast ourselves into the future.

And in terms of this conversation that we're having right now, when we focus all our attention forward, only focusing on what we still have to do, what we want to do, and what we want to be able to say that we have accomplished, I have to wonder, what are we losing in the process?

Because if we're never focusing on the here and now, giving this moment its deserved focus, then are we really ever accomplishing anything?

The goal shouldn't be to check off boxes.

The goal should be to embrace every single moment.

So if you have these high, lofty expectations for what this year is gonna be, I would encourage you to not look at it as a whole, to not look at that list as this big list of things to do, but to look at each item individually.

The goal isn't to cross things off, the goal is to do those things, to enjoy life.

That's what this life is all about.

And my last tip, piece of advice, random thought from my head that's coming out in January of 2023 is for you to celebrate yourself as often as possible.

I really wonder why it is that we feel like celebrating ourselves should only happen at big milestones.

We all say, hey, well, well, I'll celebrate when I lose 10 pounds.

Well, does that mean that pounds one through nine didn't really matter?

Or what about all the people who say, you know what, when I turn this age, we'll say 40.

When I turn 40, that's when I'm gonna take this dream vacation.

Well, awesome.

But does that mean you shouldn't do something amazing when you turn 39?

I'm not saying that we shouldn't have goals or milestones to aim for, but what I'm trying to say is that I believe we should start celebrating ourselves more often.

I believe that you losing one pound that deserves to be celebrated just as much as you losing 10.

Or you running a mile deserves to be celebrated just as much as when you run 10 miles.

By celebrating yourself more often, it's gonna remind yourself that hey, you know what?

Life is good, I'm doing good.

It's called positive reinforcement, and that's gonna help because as I said, this year, even if it is the best year of your entire life, there's gonna be bad times.

Everything isn't going to always be perfect.

So you have to manage those expectations and celebrate as often as possible.

Because if you're only waiting to celebrate when you hit that big milestone, well, what if something happens and you don't get that milestone?

Not only did you not hit that milestone, but you've also robbed yourself of the opportunity to live, to celebrate, to have fun.

So I encourage you to celebrate way more often.

The biggest point in today's podcast episode is to encourage you to focus on your mental health just as much as your physical.

I want you to start treating yourself better, realizing that, hey, you know what?

Yeah, life is tough.

Things are crazy, but that's all right.

I got this, I'm good, and I'm gonna celebrate myself along the way.

And you know what?

You always can remember this.

If nobody else has your back, you tune in to Kevin Lowe here on Grit Grace and Inspiration, and baby, I got your back because I'm gonna be the one who's gonna remind you that you got this, you deserve this, you are capable and able to have the best year of your entire life.

So it's your time to shine by turning off this podcast and getting out there and thriving in this crazy beautiful thing they call life.

Until next time, this is Kevin Lowe with Grit Grace and Inspiration.

Have an awesome day.

Hey, real quick before you go, I have one last thought to leave you with.

I of course hope that you've enjoyed today's episode, but more importantly, I want to remind you that I never want you to listen to an episode of this podcast to hear something that I have to say or that my guest has to share, and think, wow, I wish I could be like them.

I wish I could overcome my own challenges and do the great things that they are doing, but I just can't.

Well, friend, that's where you're wrong.

You are capable, you are able, and you darn sure are deserving of having all that you can imagine in this life.

There's nothing special about me or any guests I have on this podcast.

We are all just normal people trying to make it in this life.

And so I encourage you to take a look at yourself in the mirror and remind yourself that you know what?

I can do it too.

Now, of course, if you would like help along that way, reach out to me.

Whether that's as a listener of this podcast, a friend, or if you'd like to work with me as a coach.

My contact information is inside of every episode's show notes, just like this one.

So go down, check out my contact information, and reach out to me today.

With that said, I encourage you to take on the day every day with grit, grace, and inspiration.