Gratitude, Expectations, and Ray Wylie
Gratitude, Expectations, and Ray Wylie
Gratitude, Expectations, and Ray Wylie
In one of my favorite lyrics, musician Ray Wylie Hubbard (@RayWylie) says, “The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations, those are good days.” I think it goes without saying that gratitude is an amazing “happiness strategy”. Check out this post to read more. Expectations, on the other hand, get us in trouble. The expectations we have of ourselves and others are one of the quickest ways to get frustrated and disappointed.
I have found that we get frustrated when people don’t meet our expectations when, in reality, most of the time we haven’t even clearly communicated what our expectations are. Think about the last time you were frustrated with or disappointed in someone. Chances are, it was because your expectations weren’t met. Did you clearly communicate them?
“The days that I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations, well, I have really good days.”
I once had a friend who said he was never disappointed because he always kept low expectations. I think Ray Wylie Hubbard is on to something. This holiday season, don’t forget to keep your gratitude higher than your expectations.
I’m curious to know if you’ve found this to be true. Leave a comment here or join us on Facebook to share!
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Anne breaks down the daily habits and skills needed to grow and cultivate RESILIENCE.
I had an incredible time chatting with @dr.cindyspeaks on Positively Altered about one of my favorite topics >> resilience!
💪 We covered everything from how stress affects the brain to actionable strategies for resetting your resilience and reclaiming balance. Plus… we even talked donkeys!
🎧 Listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-23-the-resilience-reset-transforming-stress/id1773804535?i=1000699134975
In this episode, we dive into:
🧠 How to train your brain for resilience
😩 The power of sitting in the “suck”
💡 Simple strategies to reset stress and find balance
If you’re ready to transform stress into strength, this one’s for you!
What is on your to-do list for the week? ✅
I’m sure it includes meetings, tasks, personal chores, and follow-ups, but does it include things that bring you joy?
Instead of waiting for happiness, create it.. You can even focus on enjoyable things while doing the have-to do things.
Slogging through paperwork? Light a candle and listen to your favorite tunes.
Going for a drive? Listen to a stand-up comic or a great book.
Don’t neglect what brings you joy and happiness—make it a ritual and part of your resilience-building routine.
You know that heart-stopping moment when you try to change lanes, only to realize that someone is in your blind spot?
Blind spots aren’t just for driving. In life and leadership, we all have blind spots—things others see clearly that we don’t.
The tricky part? Blind spots aren’t always glaring flaws. Often, they’re our good intentions getting lost in translation. So, how do you uncover them?
Here’s a simple twist that will make a big difference: Ask for advice instead of feedback. 🗣
This slight shift makes people more likely to offer constructive, actionable insights—without triggering defensiveness. Plus, it builds trust and strengthens relationships.
Rather than trying to make drastic changes, pick one behavior and integrate it into your day.
Want to start a gratitude practice? Do it while you brush your teeth. Want to take deep breaths? Practice while you make coffee. Adding a new habit to an existing one makes it easier to stick with it.
#mindfulmonday #habitstacking #atomichabits #jamesclear
Humor changes your biochemistry, emotions, thoughts, and behavior. 😆
A positive mood boosts your immune system! Whether you find your laughter through being around friends, going to a comedy show, watching funny movies, or just being goofy, don’t underestimate the power of a belly laugh and a sense of humor.
When something stressful happens, there are really 2 different things taking place.
There’s the thing that is happening, and then there is the story that you tell yourself about the thing that’s happening.
The story is where criticism, judgment, self-doubt, and shame come in.
Whatever you have going on in your life right now, take a step back and try to view it from a third-person perspective. See if you can separate the facts from the story you tell yourself about it.
If we can start to separate the situation from the story, the story becomes much less scary because we realize it is one we’re telling.
This makes it easier to accept where you are without judgment, self-doubt, and shame. What we practice grows stronger. 📕
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Anne Grady is a Speaker, Author, and #TruthBomb Dropper.
Anne shares practical strategies that can be applied both personally and professionally to improve relationships, navigate change, and triumph over adversity. And she’ll make you laugh while she does it. Anne is a two time TEDx speaker, and her work has been featured in numerous media outlets, including Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Fast Company and Inc. magazines, CNN, ESPN, and FOX Business. She is the best selling author of 3 books. Her newest, Mind Over Moment: Harness the Power of Resilience, is available on Amazon now.
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Happy Monday Anne! I feel like you read through me. I am so guilty of setting high expectations, then get frustrated. Thank you for the tips. You are awesome! Have a great week! 🙂
Thanks, Juanita 🙂 You’re pretty awesome too!
I also have been accused of setting high expectations. With 4 children at home and a department of 40 at work, communicating my expectations is a constant effort. Thank you for the post.
Hi Gayla,
Sounds like you’re got your hands full at home and work. Keep up the great work!
I don’t know if I agree with this… Sometimes, having low expectations leads to self-fullfilling prophecies in our lives and in the lives of those that we have low expectations for… I would much rather learn to be err on the side of having my expectations TOO HIGH and learn to appreciate whatever the reality turns out to be than to have my expectations TOO LOW and risk setting someone up for being less than their true potential. (Aim for the moon… Even if you miss, you still land in the stars!)
Very good point, Michelle! I don’t mean that you should have low expectations or your self and/or others, only that you communicate what your expectations are so that everyone is clear. I think when people disappoint us or fail to meet our expectations, it’s not that they are too high, just that we haven’t communicated what they are in the first place 🙂
One of the Four Noble Truths at the heart of Buddhism states that the root of all suffering is desire. Once I figured out that “desire” means expectations, that whole philosophy suddenly made a lot more sense to me and provides a useful perspective — life is not ideal, and events, things, people (you name it) frequently fail to live up to our expectations. So maybe we shouldn’t sweat it. 🙂
It definitely helps to figure out what you want and articulate it, and it’s even better to look for unexpected blessings.
Amen, Rachel!