Whilst expectations themselves seem part of human nature, those of us who hold high expectations for ourselves – complete with perfectionist foibles – tend to have reasonably high expectations of those around us too. Particularly if they are close to us!

But the greater the expectation, the more power it has to hurt us. All hurt and disappointment can be traced back to an expectation we’ve held. One of the 55 Concepts for Conscious Living tell us that “hurt is not getting what you want”. The catch-22 of expectations though, is that we also tend to assume others know what it is we want! So we don’t tell them – which means they’d either need to be mind-readers, or chances are they’ll disappoint us somehow.

How we respond to the inevitable hurts and disappoints has the ability to make or break our relationships. So join Gina and Sam as they discuss some of the ways that we can handle our great disappointments, and choose clarity as an alternative to our (un)great expectations – especially when it matters most!

P.S. Visit the 55 Concepts for Conscious Living on facebook!

What does abundance mean, and what difference could it make to our lives? Paul and Sam are joined by two guests – lovely ladies Annmarie and Nancy, facilitators of the 55 Concepts – as they discuss their personal experiences of what abundance means, and how to tell if we are living in a state of abundance or in a state of lack.

Join us to explore what you can do to start increasing your awareness of which state you are choosing, and what you can do to experience more abundance in your life. It is time to get curious, be present, and try a sprinkling of gratitude to see how different life can look!

* Apologies in advance for the abundance of traffic noise adding to the discussion a few minutes into this podcast!

For more information on the 55 Concepts, or to get in touch with  Nancy Baker and Annmarie Serratore, visit www.55concepts.com (free newsletter, audio and classes available).

As this is a special edition guest podcast, and is slightly longer than our normal discussions, here’s a summary of the key action ideas:

• Journal your gratitude daily
• Get support – sometimes we can’t see what’s right in front of us
• ‘We chase what we believe we do not have’ – look at what you’re chasing and what beliefs you have about why you don’t have it
• Be present to the abundance in your life (notice and acknowledge)
• Consider what bothers you in others as a signpost for what you need to change in yourself to experience abundance