BTW - If you didn't already know, I'm Sarah - Drink Less; Live Better founder, best-selling author, expert speaker, life coach and, as you already know, podcast host!
We don't have to hit rock bottom, we're allowed to want something different and we can CHOOSE to improve our lives from this point onwards.
I work in the magic space where doubt, hope and action meet... oh.... and
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Transcripts
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Hello darling heart and welcome to the Drink Less Live better podcast.
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This is the podcast that helps you to see that drinking less doesn't need to be stressful, lonely, or boring.
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I'm your host, Sarah Williamson, and I decided to have a year alcohol free as a little life experiment and haven't looked back.
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With my experience in training, I now help other people with their alcohol free or drink less adventures.
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You can find out more and sign up to my 5 day drink less challenge at drink less live better dot com.
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I'm here to tell you that you can relax, connect, and have fun without alcohol in your life.
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Join me here each week to find out how. Today we're talking about lowered expectations.
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In a world that often celebrates high achievers and perfectionism, the idea of lowered expectations may seem counterintuitive.
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However, I think it might be important to understand that having high expectations can lead to disappointment, stress, and burnout.
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Lowered expectations, when approached with kindness and practicality, may offer a path to a more balanced life.
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Let's explore the reasons why setting realistic and compassionate expectations for ourselves is crucial for our personal and professional well-being and success.
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The perils of unrealistically high expectations include stress, anxiety, burnout, lowered self esteem and some lowered expectations
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may bring about some balance, resilience and self compassion. Let's explore, shall we? Stress and anxiety.
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Setting exceedingly high expectations for ourselves can lead to overwhelming stress and anxiety.
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The relentless pursuit of perfection often results in a constant fear of falling short, which takes a toll on our mental and emotional health.
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When we fail to meet our lofty goals, the pressure and self criticism intensify, creating a vicious cycle of stress.
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No one needs that, least of all when we've inflicted it on ourselves. Burnout.
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The pursuit of huge goals may well lead to burnout when we push ourselves beyond our limits to reach those unreasonably high
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expectations, we do risk depleting our physical and emotional reserves.
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Burnout not only affects our productivity and creativity, but also poses serious health risks.
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Far better to notice and stop in our tracks before we are too far down this particular path. Low self esteem.
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High expectations can negatively impact our self esteem.
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When we repeatedly fall short of our goals, it's easy to internalize a sense of failure and inag in
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adequacy. There we go. Inadequacy. Oh, I could edit that out, but I'm not going to.
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In turn, this erodes our self worth and can have long term consequences for our self confidence.
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I say no to all of this. Let's consider lowering the bar. Let's reconsider our expectations for ourselves.
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Let's take a breath and think about the following. Balance.
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If we lower our expectations, we might be able to find some balance in our lives.
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Striving for excellence is commendable perhaps, but it's equally important to understand our limitations and respect the boundaries
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of our physical, emotional, and spiritual selves.
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By setting more realistic goals, we can strike a balance somewhere between ambition and self care. Resilience. Lowered expectations for foster resilience.
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What is the matter with me today? Let's try again. Lowered expectations foster resilience.
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When we set achievable goals, we're better equipped to handle the setbacks and the failures.
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These experiences become opportunities for growth rather than sources of despair, and this helps us to build our adaptability. Self compassion.
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Setting some lower expectations encourages a bit of self compassion.
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We often judge ourselves more harshly than we do others.
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By adopting a kinder and more forgiving attitude towards ourselves, we can navigate the challenges with greater ease and comfort.
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Self compassion really is the cornerstone of emotional well-being.
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That voice in your head, hear it talk to you kindly.
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Let's take a hot minute and consider that some of the kindness that we can show towards ourselves. Positive reinforcement.
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Kindness plays a crucial role in setting lowered expectations.
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Instead of berating ourselves for not reaching perfection, we can acknowledge our efforts and our progress.
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Positive reinforcement and some self encouragement is vital for achieving the personal growth and success we want for ourselves. Realistic self appraisal.
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A kind and realistic self appraisal is essential when we're striving for more.
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When we acknowledge our strengths and limitations without harsh criticism, we set the stage for what might just be achievable.
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By adopting a compassionate perspective, we can establish expectations that actually are in harmony with our capabilities. We should respect our boundaries.
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Kindness also extends to respecting this for ourselves, our physical and emotional boundaries.
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Pushing ourselves to the brink is not a sustainable way to meet our own high expectations.
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Instead, we can set expectations that are aligned with our well-being, allowing us to achieve success without sacrificing our health.
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So, for practical strategies, I suggest consider your your goals carefully.
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Do you really want that goal you've set out to achieve? Maybe you don't. Prioritisation.
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Now, this is an important one when setting out to achieve the goals that you really want.
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What do you actually need to do to make it happen? And learning from setbacks.
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Make sure when things don't go quite according to plan you take the learning from it.
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In a world where high expectations are often held in high regard, I urge us all to value finding some joy in lowered expectations.
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We can find a place of harmony between achievement and our well-being.
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In the end the art of setting lowered expectations is a gentle reminder that success can coexist with kindness to ourselves. Ourselves. Thank you for listening in today. Come back again next week.
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I'd love it if you could check out the show notes on this or any other podcast episode.
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You'll see the link to a hidden episode to help you with your 5 PM cravings and you'll be able to read all about my one to 1 coaching programmes. PS. I believe in you.
