So often we see what we expect to see, rather than what is actually there.

I remember the first time I went to Panera Bread. I went to get a glass of ice water. I filled my glass with ice and then started looking for the little water lever next to one of the soda spouts. I couldn’t find the water lever and finally asked an employee about it. He pointed to the big “water” label (same size as the soft drink labels). And then I felt pretty silly.

I couldn’t see the “water” label because I already had an expectation of the way it was supposed to look. I was blinded by my expectation.

This sort of thing happens in our lives quite frequently. For example – Person A easily finds new clients because he expects to. Person B has a hard time finding new clients because he expects to. Person B could even have great prospects right in front of him and not be able to see them.

It can be very useful to inspect what we expect ~ and then make upgrades when appropriate.