It’s a phrase you hear often....expect the unexpected. What images are conjured up when you hear those three words? I think of preparing for a sudden storm, a power outage, a significantly delayed flight, or a surprising election result. I also think about something my Grandmother and Mother often said to my sisters and me, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” Most of us were raised with a similar mindset...that we should ‘always be prepared’ because life will certainly deliver the unexpected.
What happens when YOU are the UNEXPECTED? I bet there have been times in your life when you did something that was different than what was expected from you and you surprised your loved ones. If that is the case, then you and the famous singer Taylor Swift have something in common. The iHeartRadio Music Awards were presented last week and Taylor Swift received the award for “Tour of the Year”. The award came as a shock to many, particularly Taylor’s critics, who had predicted that her recent musical tour would fail. In Taylor’s own words: “I think one of the most wonderful things about the way this whole tour turned out, is that for the entire six months leading up to the tour, every headline I read about it was that this is going to be a massive failure — this is going to be a flop tour...and that I was going to be playing to nearly empty stadiums. I've learned a lot, and one of the things I've learned is that life is really unpredictable, and people can make forecasts and make predictions, but those predictions and forecasts may not come true.” Taylor’s tour was actually the highest grossing United States music tour ever! Talk about the unexpected!
Have you ever done something that was unexpected? Did you take a job in another field? Asked for a raise or promotion? Started a new workout routine? Traveled to someplace exotic? Joined a new club? Whatever your unexpected accomplishment was, perhaps you surprised yourself as much as you surprised your friends and family. I know someone who recently went for her annual physical. Her doctor was thrilled with how well she is doing and feeling. She attributed her newly found vigor, health and strength to regularly practicing Qi Gong which both pleasantly surprised and extremely impressed the doctor. I think surprising your doctor with the unexpected is a tremendous accomplishment and a perfect example of the payoff of taking the road less traveled.
Doing the unexpected takes courage and the willingness to take risks. This may be particularly difficult for those of us who need a huge push to move out of our comfort zone. But isn’t life just a series of calculated risks? Everything that we do each and every day carries with it a margin of risk because we cannot be 100 percent certain of how things will turn out. Will I get the job? Will the person say “I love you” back? Will I be good enough? Will I be successful? Our lives depend upon the risks we take and the choices we make. We would be well-served to take a page out of Taylor’s playbook and let the discouraging words from those who don’t believe in us be the fuel that energizes our dreams and aspirations. While it may not be a world tour that is on the line, our goals are just as important as Taylor’s. The best lesson you can learn from from Ms. Swift is to boldly go out there with all of your heart, passion and faith and to not listen to the critics...especially if the harshest critic and biggest detractor is the face you see in the mirror.
So as the old saying goes, “expect the unexpected” and whenever possible, DO and BE the unexpected!