The Art of Expecting the Expected
Why “Hope for the Best” Is Not a Plan And How Anticipation Can Save You from Chaos
Appropriation of Anticipation.
It’s exactly what it says on the tin.
A mindset.
A strategy.
A system.
But more than that, it’s a necessary part of operating in the real world, not just surviving in it. We’ve all been in a situation where we thought that won’t happen to me... and then it did. Whether it was failure, delay, or simply an outcome that threw us off our game, most of it could’ve been managed. Maybe not prevented. But managed.
And that’s the point.
Anticipation is a form of control in a world that gives you very little of it.
We spend most of our lives learning this lesson after the fact.
That’s why it feels like a revelation when we finally grasp it.
It doesn’t need to be.
This isn’t about negative thinking.
It’s not about becoming pessimistic or always preparing for the worst.
It’s about preparing for the appropriate.
That’s why I call it the Appropriation of Anticipation, you are intentionally aligning your expectations with your level of preparation. You don’t oversell yourself, and you don’t wing it. You plot the map, then mark out every potential detour. Not because they will happen… but because they could.
Let me put it another way:
If you’ve put in 60% effort, stop expecting a 100% outcome.
If you trained like a novice, expect to perform like one.
If you made one plan and hoped it would work... then don’t act shocked when the world throws you a curveball and you’re stood there plan-less, reactionary, and frustrated.
Most failure isn’t failure.
It’s just poor preparation that met reality.
It’s expectation with no foundation.
Military Minds Get This.
In the military, we don’t just have a Plan A.
We’ve got Plan B.
Plan C.
Plan D.
And sometimes even Plan E, F and G, depending on the mission.
This isn’t paranoia.
It’s not overkill.
It’s the standard.
Why?
Because failure has a cost.
And when that cost is high, whether in lives, time, money, or mission success, you start to understand the value of planning for the unexpected.
Anticipation is built into the DNA of military operations. It’s not negotiable.
Life Needs More of This.
Your goals?
Your business?
Your career?
Even your relationships?
They all need the same mindset.
You don’t need to become a doomsday planner.
But you do need to build systems that allow for:
Redirection
Adjustment
Course-correction
When things inevitably don’t go to plan.
The Truth Most People Avoid:
It’s not the outcome that breaks you. It’s the surprise.
The “I didn’t think this would happen.”
The “Why me?”
The “I wasn’t ready.”
Those thoughts destroy momentum.
They eat up time and energy.
And they push people back into comfort zones they’ve tried hard to leave.
All because there was no expectation set.
No version of the outcome anticipated.
No system in place to bounce back with direction.
What This Looks Like in Real Life:
In business:
Don’t just plan for a product to sell out, plan for it to flop.
Do you refund, revamp, or relaunch?
In training:
Don’t just train for personal bests, train for plateaus.
What will keep you consistent when motivation drops?
In relationships:
Don’t just expect things to work.
How do you approach conflict? Communication gaps? Different values?
Practical Takeaways:
Match your expectations to your preparation.
If you know you only revised half the syllabus, stop expecting full marks.Always have a pivot option.
Don’t go all-in on one scenario. Life rarely plays it straight.Build systems, not dreams.
A dream with no structure is a fantasy. Build a foundation that supports both success and setbacks.Understand that the unknown is often self-inflicted.
If you didn’t anticipate it, that’s on you. Not on life.
This Isn’t About Perfection.
It’s About Presence.
Being present enough to accept that multiple outcomes exist.
Being prepared enough to move with them, not against them.
Being disciplined enough to build expectation into your planning, not just hope.
Because the unknown will always come.
But you don’t have to meet it blindly.
Appropriation of Anticipation is not a fancy phrase.
It’s a principle.
Master it and nothing will catch you completely off guard again.