Years ago, back when people walked ten miles through the snow to get to school, I was in a Molecular Biophysics graduate program — my study involved quantum mechanics of biophysical mechanism.
When I accepted the offer to study biophysics, I was making a choice between Molecular Biophysics and Psycho-Pharmacology. (Do well enough on your mcat, sat, and gre and you get offers. Which was lucky for me, since I had more brains than money.)
I did my graduate work in northern Florida. Something you might not know about northern Florida is the fact that it is rampant with cow pastures, cows, cow poop, and mushrooms growing in said cow poop.
My lab mates at the time, decided that it would be a good idea to run a few experiments involving the ingestion of mushrooms. Because of my pre-existing research and interest in psycho-pharmacology, I agreed to sit in as a kind of life-guard.
During the first experiment, M. expressed that fact the mushrooms were having no effect on him — none whatsoever. I asked M. why he was lying on the floor. He indicated that in so far as the walls were breathing and he didn’t have any ability to move the stuffed sausage doll’s body he was inhabiting, he figured the floor was a good place to be. And yes, he still persisted in his claim that nothing was happening and that the mushrooms had no effect.
Later it came to light that M. had decided long ago (prior to any actual experimentation) that the one and only symptom of “it is working” would be tiny (4 inch to 6 inch) refrigerators running around on the floor. Since on the evening in question there were no refrigerators of the 4 inch variety running, walking, or even sitting quietly in the corner, he was absolutely certain that “it wasn’t working.”
It is possible to have expectations (generated by our own imaginations, or stories from others) . It’s hard (or impossible) to avoid some expectations. Expectations are okay. However, it is important to avoid letting unfulfilled expectations blind us to what is actually happening.
Look to the details. Have an impartial attitude. Be willing for it to work, and be willing for it to not work. Expect miracles and be okay with the fact that they may not happen over night — or, perhaps they will.
The experiences of others is a guideline of what might be possible. The less you require your experience to match a preset pre-existing set of criteria, the better off you will be in your relationship with “what is.”
Imagine going on a blind-date with a head full of guidelines — a massive checklist of conditions for the potential date to match — height, weight, hair color, background, attitude, genetics, religion, favorite author, top-pick music group, etc., etc., etc.
Actually you don’t have to imagine. This is what happens every day, zillions of times a day.
How about this, imagine what it would be like to walk into a situation with little or no expectation of what can (or will) happen.
Now stay awake and pay attention.