Book Source for "Beyond Expectations to Surprise"?

October 11, 2007 6:33 AM

seeking Source for quote - something like 'Beyond Expectations to Surprise'. A friend reports reading some sort of personal growth book with a section or possibly a chapter on this topic. A long time ago. She has no idea of the title or author. It's been a powerful idea for both of us. What's the book? Many talk of letting go of expectations, but moving to surprise?
posted by judybxxx to Human Relations (2 answers total)

Can you elaborate on the concept you think is powerful? I found this, but it almost seems to be the reverse - kind of beyond surprise to expectations:

6. Choose what's good enough for you

To engage your creative genius, you must constantly upgrade the picture of what's "good enough" for you. If you believe you're a "C" student and then surprise yourself by getting an "A" on one exam, you may find it hard to get another "A" because you think, "Hey, look how good I did. That isn't like me." Your subconscious finds a way to correct for the "mistake." It might convince you that, "I can flunk the next two tests and still get my C." Why? Because your expectations are "I'm a C student, not an A student. Don't expect me to get A's all the time. That's too tough for me."

It's almost impossible for you to motivate yourself beyond your expectations. But if you raise the level of your expectations, you can raise the level of your performance. Change your picture of what you believe, and you automatically change what you achieve. Since you rarely excel beyond your expectations, you must raise your expectations. You create energy when you have a problem that needs resolution. (p. 135)

Tice, L. E. (1997). Smart Talk for Achieving Your Potential: 5 Steps to Get You from Here to There. Executive Excellence Publishing.
posted by sociolibrarian at 7:40 AM on October 11, 2007

Response by poster: I agree, it's almost the opposite. I think the point of the quote relates to getting rid of expectations, but I think it is expectations about others, outside events, etc. not ourselves.

Thanks for trying , tho.
posted by judybxxx at 9:17 PM on October 11, 2007