3 ways to avoid disillusion

Setting overly high expectations can be dangerous, particularly if you are convinced that those expectations will be met.

This is not the same as having an inspiring vision, where you are not attached to exactly how it will come about or the timescale.

An example is that somehow I expected that my running would automatically be easier with my brand new "boingy" running shoes.

It isn't. The three runs that I've done since buying the new shoes have been slower than I've run for a while, and have also felt harder.

The danger of unrealistic or overblown expectations is the disillusionment that can easily follow.

There are three ways to limit the damage of overly high expectations.

1. Make sure that what you are doing is ingrained as a habit and is not in danger of collapsing through disappointment. Whereas I might have become despondent and possibly even struggled to keep going with my running a year or two ago, because I have run every day now for 668 days, it doesn't even register on my radar as a possibility.
   
   
2. Make sure you set yourself a secondary expectation along the lines of "Well that would be fantastic, but if that doesn't happen, then at least...."
   
   
3. The third is to step back and look at the bigger picture - the inspiring vision. My inspiring vision for my running is to still be running a mile every day (at least on days where it's possible) until I'm in my 70's and beyond. My last three runs are not significant to that bigger picture. My new running shoes will probably still improve my chances of reaching my vision.