A Coaching Power Tool created by Muriel Berard
(Life transition Coach, CHINA)
Reading
The difference between intention and expectation might sound subtle, but doing with an intention or doing in setting expectations can make a huge difference in our experience.
The Visual Thesaurus gives us a glimpse of the differences these two words carry. On first consideration, the difference between “Expectation” and “intention” seems like the difference between a passive and active approach to manifestation.
Let’s look at a very common example.
You take your car to attend an appointment.
Your intention is to find a place to park near to your appointment place. You know that leaving late from your place; you can’t expect to easily find a place to park.
Anyway, because your intention is to find a place, you will be looking and if, by any chance, when you arrive in the street of your appointment, you see a vacant place, you will feel very happy and satisfied. If you don’t find any, you will just look to another solution, which is to park few blocks away in an underground parking.
During this experience, your mind is focused on open solutions “and learning “next time I need to leave early in case I don’t find a place in the street”.
At the opposite, you leave late from your place because your expectation is to find a car place easily, as you usually do. If you find a place, like anticipated, OK, everything will go smoothly but you will not be particularly satisfied, just fine.
But, if you don’t, you will feel very frustrated and some how not ready to think of alternative solutions and look at a plan B.
The issue with frustration even anger is that it will mobilize your energy and your emotional reaction to the situation and might damage your logical thinking to find a solution!
If our expectation of results is zero, even the slightest achievement or fulfilment will result in infinite happiness or satisfaction!
H (Happiness) = A (Achievement) / E (Expectations)
Case study
Laura had the objective to lose weight. She has set quantifiable measures of success: losing 20 pounds, fitting size M trousers and running and 8-minute mile. She expected to reach her goals within 6 months.
She has been trying hard for the last 3 months, controlling her diet and exercising 3 times per week without reaching the results expected half-way. Laura started to be discouraged and frustrated, telling herself that she will never make it.
She finally decided to get support from a coach.