Word of the Week: Expectations


The word of the week to blog about is Expectations. It made me think of Great Expectations - a Dickens novel title, I think. But I prefer to write about Reasonable Expectations.

Expectations are a little bit like goals. If you have none, then you will meet none. But if you have an unreasonable goal it's likely that you're setting yourself up for failure. It's good to have do-able goals, and expectations that can actually be met. It wouldn't be reasonable of me to say, "I will be a rock star". Because REALITY tells me that graying 45 year old females do not rock stars make. It is reasonable of me to expect myself to become a better musician. We won't debate the musicianship of rock stars, thanks very much. :-) It probably isn't reasonable to expect that I will be the next Picasso, but it is reasonable to expect that I can make (and hope to make) some thought-provoking and perhaps beautiful art. Reasonable expectations and goals make me want to try to meet them.

So what's reasonable to expect of others, of myself and of the world? Well, of course, that's the question that we answer in our living.

ADDENDUM: How about this for a reasonable expectation? I listed an item on Ebay last night and it took 5 hours (or more, I went to bed) for it to show up in listings. But of course, they started the countdown clock the moment they gave me an item number. I expect to get 7 days x 24 hours of time on the search engines. It's what I paid for. Nowhere else in life do you pay for something (such as a hotel room, or a movie) and not get the time you paid for. It would be like putting money in the parking meter and it starts counting down, but you aren't allowed to park until later. Yet the meter is ticking on. Ebay, hear me! I paid $5 to list this item on your site. When the item sells, I believe you should pro-rate the Final Value Fee and take the amount of time you didn't advertise my item. Of course, Ebay may choose not to meet my expectation and I may choose to list elsewhere.

7 comments:

Deborah said...

Dixie, your dolls are fantastic! You must do very well with them. Amazing work.........

Gerushia's New World said...

Bravo Dixie. Great post.

If you want to see the completed set of Red Riding Hood and the Wolf Paper Dolls, I have them on my blog. I didn't list them on eBay, they're on Etsy.

Kim
Garden Painter Art
gnarly-dolls

Unknown said...

Dixie,

I have had the same problems with Ebay. My listings took over 6 hours, even when I had a scheduled one. SoI am trying a little Etsy for now. I'm feeling for ya sista!!!

Mica

PennyBlue said...

Good post. Love your work! I'll be back....

Denise Aumick said...

Good Day my friend....& I'm hearing ya! But, why oh why, can't we be rock stars? Or at least great backup singers? Fun to still dream though....
Denise

Shabby Cottage Studio said...

Nice post Dixie, but I guess now I too will have to cross, wanna be a rock sta,r off my list. Darn. ;-)

Penny Cork said...

LOL! Great expectations post! Hey, let's be rockstars together!

Penny :)


"Do not let what you cannot do
keep you from doing what you can do."

John Wooden