great expectations

I have a theory. Well, I have many theories. This theory pertains to expectations and success. The other day I was watching a Lil Wayne interview that was done just after the release of "The Carter III," and all the success of the initial several weeks of that album. The interviewer who was not shown, asked Lil Wayne if he had expected this album to be such a smashing success, and if he expected to be this successful as a result of the album. Lil Wayne at first tried to say that he had expected this album to be a major success, but then he corrected himself and told the interviewer what his mom told him when he was younger. His mom had told him to never expect a lot because then you wouldn't be disappointed when things didn't go your way. Hearing this really upset me, mostly because I have been raised by a mom that said just the opposite. I thoroughly believe that if you expect greatness, you will be motivated to put forth the effort and hard work to make your expectations a reality. I also believe that if you expect little, you will get little. So any mom that tells her children not to expect much is crippling them. In psychology we call this a self-fulfilling prophecy. Robert Rosenthal was one of the first psychologists to study this phenomenon. He found that teachers who expected less out of certain students due to their prejudices ended up confirming their suspicions, this was mostly due to the teacher's bias argued Rosenthal. The teachers treated these students differently, they dumbed down their instructions and expected/demanded less of these same students. So when test time came, these students were less prepared for the rigorous and objective tests that they had been inadequately equipped for. In reading Machiavelli's "The Prince" I stumbled upon this quote that I found very inspiring. Especially since I know that this was written just under 500 years ago. "He should behave like those archers who, if they are skilful, when the target seems too distant, know the capabilities of their bow and aim a good deal higher than their objective, not in order to shoot so high but so that by aiming high they can reach their target." So the moral of the day is to expect great things. Expect the best from others-and definitely expect the best from yourself. I always tell my friends when they are suffering from self doubt, "I always bet on me" you need to do the same.

By far the best song from The Carter III: Lollipop

Guess my favorite line in this song.