Expect Top Possibilities?

Expect Possibilities

What specific dividends do you expect today? Yes, even in the face of problems that defeat people around you. Life tends to take a forward leap – toward new possibilities anticipated, for those who act on what could be. Despite naysayers and doubters, the brain kicks into gear in response to expectations. While it took a solo flight to reach her top prediction, one high school kid Hani, simply ran toward the best and remained solidly in the direction of her dream, until it materialized.

A poor Indonesian girl in dog-eared clothes, waited till she spotted a teacher in the parking lot of an elite Indonesian school. Hani approached the teacher, and in a soft voice asked, "Could you help me with English?" Jamie Winship, an idealistic young English teacher, saw courage in the girl’s approach, especially since she likely knew this school shunned under-privileged Indonesian students.

When Jamie asked why Hani wanted to improve her English, she responded without a pause, …” to attend American university." Moved by the young girl's raw boned dream, Jamie agreed to meet after school. The language lesson extended into months, as Hani refused to waver no matter how much work it took. As soon as she finished her regular school day, she rode the bus for an hour to work on new English lessons that Jamie prepared. Not only did Hani’s study habits outrank top efforts in the elite school, she pushed herself to master the basics in college level English. Hani stuck to a daily grind of meeting every challenge that English raised between her expectations to attend a US college and her underprivileged station in life.

By focusing on possibilities Hani harnessed creativity enough to act on them. In this way she rewired her brain for more of the same. Luckily human brains reshape by what you do in a day, so that regardless of setbacks, a finer big picture can shape and drive expectations.

As customary, new scholarship opportunities arrived in Jamie's mail. As she read vast requirements, Jamie feared Hani had no hope to qualify. She could not list an involvement in clubs or sports. Hani's school had none. Jamie mentioned the scholarship to Hani, and at the same time told her to plan more "realistically" for her future. Hani looked somberly at Jamie as she ran through the fine print, and when Jamie finished, she asked her mentor to submit her name. When naysayers doubt your chances, do your expectations hold?

Jamie didn’t have the heart to turn down Hani, and though she explain the truth about Hani's academic life, she also described on the application, Hani's courage and willingness to work for what she expected.

Jamie then prepared Hani to take an English Fluency test, in Jakarta. That meant Hani needed to learn to use computers, in spite of never having touched one before.

On the test day, a letter from the university arrived in Jamie's mailbox. Jamie thought it was a cruel time to receive a rejection letter, but to prepare Hani for the disappointment, she read the letter out loud. Hani had been accepted! Jamie was ecstatic and leaped for joy around the room. This bewildered Hani, who sat quietly smiling – watching.

Jamie learned something that day, that Hani had known all along.

As I read Hani's story in Chicken Soup for the College Soul, I was inspired and energized by Hani’s reward for sticking to possibilities expected, rather than focusing on problems. Yesterday, as Dr. Ellen Weber and I responded to new contacts, and moved the MITA Center forward, we made top progress. Today, we expect more of the same despite rough spots in the current recession. What do you expect, and what step today would start you in that direction?