Tips 038: How To Set Language Learning Expectations

What is an expectation? How do you currently set expectations? Are there such things as bad expectations? Are you setting expectations that are stopping you achieving your Spanish goals?

In today’s episode of the Real Fast Spanish Tips podcast we will be looking at the mindset topic of expectations. We start off the episode with two important quotes: 

“High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation.” – Charles Kettering

“Disappointment is a sort of bankruptcy – the bankruptcy of a soul that expends too much in hope and expectation.” – Eric Hoffer

On review of these two quotes there is a dichotomy that exists. It’s that expectations help with high achievement and evoke absolute misery. In this case, who wants a bankrupt soul?

People say that you will be bitterly disappointed if you have expectations. If your expectations are high then you are setting yourself up misery and heartache.

But then we look at first quote. The only way to achieve great things is set high expectations. We may never walked on the moon if the people at NASA didn’t expect they could do it.

Most of greatness ever achieved by humans on or even off this earth has come from setting high goals and expecting to hit them.

But of course for anybody who has experienced an unmet expectation, and I’m sure you have had this at one stage in your life. And that is you feel angry, disappointed, let down and frustrated.

Stories from the episode:

• A huge falling out with my best friend in high school.
• An embarrassing Spanish mistake in a bar in Barcelona.
• My experience this week with Amazon.

Do you say the following things to yourself:

“I expect to be good enough by now”

“I expect I would be fluent by now”

“I expect that person would understand me”

The key to unlocking expectation is thinking about the direction or the flow of expectation.

There are two types of expectations:

• The expectations you have for the world (eg. The expectations you have for your friends, family, TV shows, government etc.)
• The expectations that the world has for you (eg. What do your friends and family expect from you?)

Here is a funny idea but I often think about what the Spanish language expects from me?

When you reframe what you expect from the world and change it to what the world expects from you then you avoid any situation in which you can experience disappointment.

Now this is often tough because it is easier to blame others when things don’t work.

Ask yourself this question:

• What does this situation expect from me?

When you ask this question it reframes things back into your control. It doesn’t mean that you will like the situation. It doesn’t mean that you have to be happy with how things have gone but it avoids having a disempowering mindset.

Other episodes mentioned in this episode:

• Tip number 12 – Are You Suffering From Perfectionism?

The main quote from the episode:

“The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.” – Confucius

How will you set expectations for yourself?

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