Motivation Mojo > Expect Success

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I know that when you enthusiastically pursue your heart’s desire with a focused determination and an expectation of success, the world will create circumstances and opportunities for the fulfillment of your dreams and goals.

Notice that I didn’t say wish, want, hope, or pray for success…although prayer helps. I’m telling you to pursue your heart’s desires with a mindset of expecting success. And let this philosophy/attitude saturate every cell in your body – in your facial expressions, body language, speech patterns, posture, personality, and your approach to life.

People want to win, but most of them expect to lose. They want to be rich, but they expect to be in debt. They want to be thin, but they expect to be overweight. They want to be leaders, but they expect to be followers. They want to feel great, but they expect to feel okay or getting by. I’m telling you that you must mentally expect success. Because whether you think you can or you think you can’t – you’re right!

I expected success so much so during my final Sixers season as president in 2000-01 that, in January, when Diane suggested we schedule a family vacation trip to Italy in the spring. I informed her that we couldn’t go until June 23rd. She gave me that are-you-nuts expression. It was a familiar sight! We’ve been married since January 1978 and we dated 5 years before that…so just imagine how many times I’ve earned that look!

But allow me to explain my reasoning. First, I expected the Sixers would advance all the way to the NBA Championship Finals. Second, I had checked the schedule and knew that the last game of the championship round - should the series go a full 7 games - would be played on June 20th. Third, I penned in my daily planner (not with a pencil, but with pen) our championship parade, which would occur two days later on June 22nd. I even contacted the Mayor’s office to notify the Streets Department to lock in the parade date. I reserved a dozen flatbed trucks to be stored at Temple University to transport the conquering heroes along the parade route. And I contacted the Philadelphia International Airport for airspace restrictions in preparation for flyovers and helicopter coverage. I truly expected the parade to be held on June 22nd. And fourth, on the morning following the parade on June 23rd, Diane could drag my comatose body straight from the parade celebration onto the plane to Italy.

Well, we fell just 3 wins short of my expectation. We beat the Indiana Pacers in four games during the first round. We beat Vince Carter and the Toronto Raptors in seven nail-biting games in the second round. We beat the Milwaukee Bucks in another torturous seven games in the third round. But unfortunately, we lost to Shaquille O’Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals.

Shaq at the time was the most dominant player on the planet. But I’m not happy he’s wearing my championship ring! He stole my bling! Shaq and Kobe Bryant were too talented for our team. But I do believe the experience of that thrilling journey would not have been as enjoyable and exciting and rewarding had we not expected to win it all.

On the other hand, I hate to think what a joyless journey those five years might have been had I listened to the cynical individuals who responded to my vision of a championship team with the all-too-familiar “Don’t get your hopes up” or “no way” or “that’s impossible.” Ha! My attitude was and continues to be this: watch my hopes become haves. Unfortunately, most people are afraid of developing high hopes, because they’re afraid of being disappointed. They expect to fail.

Research proves that a positive attitude trends toward success. Dr, Martin Seligman at the University of Pa. studied students, athletes, and insurance salesmen, and concluded that in almost every case, the modestly-talented optimist – like you know who - outperformed the highly-talented pessimist. Which are you? -- PC