Don't Wish to Be Successful. Expect to Be. When we hope to be successful, we are basically saying we are unsure if it will ever happen.
By Matt Mayberry Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
We all hope to be successful, but most people don't expect themselves to reach a level of extraordinary achievement. Rather, they hope and wish for that to be the case someday. Hoping and wishing will never be enough to get you to where you want to go. Going into business for yourself and hoping and wishing will never build a thriving business.
There is a major difference between hoping to be successful and expecting to be successful. When we hope to be successful, we are basically saying we are unsure if it will ever happen. To an extent, this attitude dictates our level of belief in ourselves and the way we work. When we expect to be successful, that means we know deep down that regardless of how hard times will get throughout our journey, that we will eventually get to where we want to go.
Related: The Power of Assuming Success
There are a lot of reasons why most people just hope for great things from themselves or to reach a certain level of success. One of the main reasons is because they have let where they are at right now in life dictate their ways of thinking. Just because you aren't where you want to be in life doesn't mean you can't expect greatness from yourself. Just because you don't have the resources and money to back your idea doesn't mean you can't expect yourself to build and start an incredibly successful business.
You must stop this way of thinking. Don't let all of your misfortunes prevent you from expecting great and wonderful things from yourself.
I know you want to be great and somewhere deep within you have the desire to achieve extraordinary things in your lifetime. You read Entrepreneur searching for ways to grow and learn. Or maybe you already are a major success and just love reading ways you can enhance your game. Whatever it may be for you, start expecting greatness in every area of your life instead of just hoping and wishing one day it will all come together for you.
Moving forward, increase your expectations in every area of your life. Don't wish to be great -- expect to be great. Don't wish to become a successful entrepreneur -- expect to be one. Don't wish to change the world -- expect to.
Ultimately, the difference between being average and being extraordinary will all come down to you executing your expectations.
