Published October 2016
I want to talk to you today about having high expectations in life. Life is too short to have small expectations and small dreams. You need to have big expectations. You need to anticipate things in life.
I don’t know why I’m wired the way I am. I have always enjoyed anticipating something more than I actually do when it happens. When I was a kid—this is a lot of years ago—I always loved the holiday season. I love Christmas. I loved that time of year, I just loved the decorations. I love Christmas. I love to decorate stuff. I loved that whole time of the year when I was a little kid. The first thing that got you excited about Christmas was usually in late September; you got the Sears Wish Book. That was the catalog that had all the toys in it. When you got that catalog and you opened it up, it smelled like Christmas. Recently I was down cleaning out some stuff at my mom and dad’s house, and there was a stack of the old Wish Books. Even though they were 40, 50 years old, I opened it up—and it still smelled like Christmas.
That anticipation, that excitement, in many ways was better than Christmas morning. That’s the way I’ve always been in my life.
Be looking forward to something. Be excited about the future. Have anticipation. Most people dread everything. The number of people I talk to now: “Well you know the world is screwed up. This ain’t our country anymore.” Everybody is complaining about everything, which does no good. Have an attitude of anticipation. Be excited about the future.
The worst thing that can happen is you’re wrong. Well, at least you were happy on the way to being wrong. Look forward, be excited—choose to be a positive force to the people that you touch with your life.
See you at the top, because the bottom sure is crowded!
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“The scarcest resource in the world is not oil, it’s leadership.”
As Co-CEO of the largest independent financal services company in North America, John Addison’s skill as a leader was tested and honed daily. He retired in 2015 after taking the company and it’s people to massive heights. He’s just not done helping people get to the top. Today, he’s at the helm of Addison Leadership Group, INC working daily to mentor and educate new leaders.
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