Late at night, a police officer pulls over a car for going a little bit too fast. It's a regular traffic stop, and the officer doesn't work in particularly dangerous neighborhood. So, as far as the officer on duty is concerned, it's a pretty routine thing that he's been doing for well over ten years.
And yet, he approaches the car with caution. As the driver rolls down his window, the officer is using all of his senses to look for suspicious signs of a threat. He looks for weapons. He watches every move the driver makes as they reach for the glove box for their registration. They're prepared, at the drop of hat, to pull their holstered weapon in self-defense.
The problem with being a police officer, and with several other professions, is that you have to assume the worst of people. 99% of the time (hopefully), you don't get it, but you have to go into every situation with your guard up and the assumption that something bad might happen.
This isn't a bad thing in and of itself, because it makes a great defense mechanism. But assumptions drive expectations, and when you learn to expect something, you start to see it everywhere, regardless of whether or not it's actually there. The people around you, your friends and family, don't get any worse, but you start to see the worst parts of them amplified, at least in your own mind.
Expectations are immensely powerful because they influence perception, which is (our) reality. But if you, like me, have a job that allows (or even requires) you to expect the best of people, you can add that to your list of things to be grateful for, because great expectations are a powerful force for making the world seem better.
And yet, he approaches the car with caution. As the driver rolls down his window, the officer is using all of his senses to look for suspicious signs of a threat. He looks for weapons. He watches every move the driver makes as they reach for the glove box for their registration. They're prepared, at the drop of hat, to pull their holstered weapon in self-defense.
The problem with being a police officer, and with several other professions, is that you have to assume the worst of people. 99% of the time (hopefully), you don't get it, but you have to go into every situation with your guard up and the assumption that something bad might happen.
This isn't a bad thing in and of itself, because it makes a great defense mechanism. But assumptions drive expectations, and when you learn to expect something, you start to see it everywhere, regardless of whether or not it's actually there. The people around you, your friends and family, don't get any worse, but you start to see the worst parts of them amplified, at least in your own mind.
Expectations are immensely powerful because they influence perception, which is (our) reality. But if you, like me, have a job that allows (or even requires) you to expect the best of people, you can add that to your list of things to be grateful for, because great expectations are a powerful force for making the world seem better.