up and count as high as they could. That turned out to be one of the luckiest things that ever happened to me.

You see, a few months earlier, my mother had

caught me trying to copy the channel numbers from the television dial onto the floor with

a crayon. Well, she couldn't have that, so she gave me some quick lessons in numbers

and counting. So when the first day of school came, I didn't

know much, but I knew how to count. The other kids? Not so much. Nobody else made it past,

like thirteen. But when my turn came, I stood up, proudly counted to a hundred, made some

smart-aleck remark, and sat down. The room was stunned. They didn't know that this

was the ONLY thing I knew; they thought I was the smartest kid ever, and just assumed

that I would do great in school. Well, I never did became a great scholar, but I

did do well in school. And I'm convinced that the expectations established on that

very first day became a self-fulfilling prophecy. It's a real phenomenon: our expectations

tend to come true. Countless studies have shown that if we EXPECT our best, we'll

give our best; if we expect to fail, we probably will. Now, you and I are no longer little

children. We have the ability to set our own expectations, and thereby exercise real

power over our outcomes. So here's the challenge: resolve now to expect only the best from yourself

in every aspect of life — and then watch what happens.

Well, that's it for today. If you or someone you know needs financial planning or investment

advice, please drop me an email or give us a call at Millard & Company. Thanks for watching,

have a great day, and we'll see you next time.