Managing expectations within the audacity of hope

Magnet #332 - Letters of Hope

One of my best friends in junior high told me that my expectations were too high, that if I didn't lower them, I'd always be disappointed, because no one would be able to live up to them. To a certain extent, that's true.

I've never been a fan of this word getting thrown out too much, mainly because I spend about 80% of my job managing people's expectations about one thing or another. And, when you're relying on other people to come through for you, you learn fairly quickly the need to manage your own expectations.

Today is different. Today we celebrate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I wonder what he would have told my friend about lowering expectations. I'd like to think he'd have lectured her good and hard about doing just the opposite. It takes a strong man to put his faith in other people, and hope that they come through for you. But, I suppose it takes an even stronger man to keep putting that faith in those people, even after being disappointed along the way.

For sure, without Dr. King's hope in our people and his dreams for a better future, we wouldn't be swearing in the first black president in our nation's history tomorrow.

I'm not gonna lie, the ebullience of the nation and the world has me a bit on edge - there's a big part of me that wants to take a step back and manage people's expectations for these coming "years of change."

But, there's a little part of me that's hoping, and a little part of me that knows, that today truly is the eve of something better.