Let me share a story with you. When I was 21, I totally believed this Disneyland fantasy idea of love. You see, I met and married a man after only knowing him for 7 days! I was so positive that when I kissed this frog, he would be magically turned into a prince and then we would live happily ever after.

How do you think that story ended? Within 30 days he left me for another woman, stranded me in Hawaii with a $30K debt and $2.03 to my name. I ended up homeless.

What does this have to do with you? You see, there are some major fallacies floating around about success in marriage, in life and in business that need to be revealed, before you move forward with your goals.

So often you think if you meet the right person, work with the right team or make X amount of dollars, everything is going to be wonderful. Or you honestly believe there is a magical formula to follow that will ensure everything will be alright. Life and success come cluttered with pitfalls, failures, tsunamis, traumas, breakdowns and all kinds of stuff.

There is actually an idolatry to marriage and having that mindset sets you up to fail!  It’s this giant pit full of false expectations of how your spouse or significant other should treat you, should act or how things should be. Where did you get your idea of what a good partner is? From your parents, Disney, the media?

Last week, a rare occurrence took place; my entire family was all in one place and together. Most of my kids are older, three are married now and out of the house. And I said, “This is a moment! We have to take pictures!” When I looked at the pictures it made me start to think how even photos can portray this idea that everything is perfect or “fairy tale” happy.

Everyone is smiling, having fun. Tell me if you do this, because I know I do sometimes. You see a smiling couple in a photo and your mind just assumes, “Wow, how lucky for them, they look so happy.”  And maybe you think to yourself, “Man, I’ll never get that lucky.” 

My family is far from perfect! My marriage is less-than-perfect. But we do what we can to work past the hard stuff. Sometimes it’s easy, blue skies, total harmony and happiness. And other times, it is frightening new territory, tumultuous rains and obstacle after obstacle.

You aren’t going to marry Jesus Christ on this plane of existence – so don’t expect that your partner will ever be perfect! When it comes right down to it, we’re all frogs! Whoever your spouse is, they have bad days. They will make mistakes, as will you. Together, you will face constant challenges.

Don’t you think it’s time you start letting people off the hook? They will never live up to your expectations. Throughout life, no matter who you are,  you have expectations of what your business should look like, your family is going to be or how happy your marriage is supposed to be. The shocking reality can freak people out!

Instead of holding your goals or your spouse to an impossible standard, adjust your mindset for real success.

I want to hear about a time your expectations totally led you down the wrong path! Share with me in the comments below and don’t forget to hit Like and Share so your friends and family have a chance to hear this word of encouragement.

We’re into the homestretch of the week, so let’s plan to finish strong. Join us and come chat on The Dani Johnson Show today at 12 pm ET/11 am CT. You can tune into the show on either your TV or radio and please remember you can always stream today’s show right on our website.

In great faith,

P.S. Like what you read here? Just hit the “Like,” “Share” and “Tweet” buttons at the top of the page! That will help your friends and followers find this message!