Expectation

I just listened to a podcast about a man who is blind but uses a clicking noise with his mouth to sense what's around him - like echolocation.   He does this so well that he can do most things on his own without a problem, including things like riding a bike.

He didn't even realize this was unusual until he was in around 5th grade and met another blind student who could not get around by himself.  Someone led him everywhere, brought him his lunch, etc.  He was basically afraid to be alone.  And this shocked the first guy, who couldn't understand it.

The difference, the podcast postulated, was the expectations put on each boy by those around them.  The first boy had parents who let him climb trees, explore the world around him, and allowed him to learn from his mistakes, even if it could be dangerous at times.  He lived as "normally" as possible.  The second boy had parents who tried to help him by catering to him, not expecting him to be able to do things like everyone else.

As an adult, the first man had testing done on his brain that showed the visual cortex reacting in the same way as a person who can see.  Essentially, he said he could "see" images in his head when he clicked. (This was not true in other blind people who did not use clicking.)

Anyway, long story short, the conclusion was that our expectations have the power to make a blind person see.  Pretty amazing stuff!

Apply that to other situations, and think of the power we have to influence those around us for the good.

What do you expect of your friends, your family, your co-workers?  What about yourself?  Are you setting the bar too low?

What crazy, unexpected things could we accomplish if we just expected more?