A post about being kept from our goals by our own doubts got me thinking about the power — good and bad — of expectations.

Expectations help me define my goals and motivate me to meet them. At the same time, expectations about the outcome of a project or how others will receive it can completely undermine my most passionate dreams.

Most artists face this dilemma, and the best thing we can do for ourselves is forget what we are hoping for, and just get on with making whatever it is we are trying to make. Or as Anne Lamott puts it:

Don’t look at your feet to see if you are doing it right. Just dance. —Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird, p. 112