Who Me

Managing Expectations: The Thin Line Between Growth and Perception

So here I am, sitting in my room, crunching numbers...profit, loss, future plans, goals. The blueprint is laid out, the calculations are exact, but the real question lingers in the air like an unshaken bottle of champagne: What really separates those who move forward from those who stand still?

For those who follow, like, and lurk on my pictures and viewpoints shared during the Carnival season, this one’s for you. I often wonder...do people truly change, or is it just their mindset that shifts? Do we outgrow circles, or do circles outgrow us? And the age-old question: Does money follow money, or does money really grow on trees?

Fast forward to 2025...safe to say, geez, five years ago was a different world. No, scratch that—twenty years ago paints an even richer picture. Growing up, I was exposed to many uncertainties but also to people..national footballers, politicians, entertainers—figures who crossed my path from primary school through secondary school into my teenage years and young adulthood. The same faces, the same spaces, yet different destinies.

Some people choose to remember when it’s convenient, while others selectively forget. It’s deliberate, strategic even...how people recall certain moments when it serves their narrative. But what about those who saw the opportunities and capitalized? The ones who connected the dots and didn’t just survive the game but played to win?

Look at the landscape of our culture...artiste who made the right moves, entrepreneurs who turned side hustles into empires, professionals who maneuvered through rigid systems and still came out on top. They didn’t wait for someone to hand them a golden ticket; they created their own.

Trinidad and Tobago is full of stories of people who took what was available and elevated it. Yet, there’s an undeniable truth: expectation versus reality is a battle many don’t anticipate. The ones who succeed understand the assignment. They manage their expectations, knowing that growth demands sacrifice, reinvention, and sometimes, walking away from comfort zones.

The truth is, navigating success here isn’t always about raw talent. It’s about understanding the politics of progress... when to speak, when to listen, and when to move in silence. It’s about balancing ambition with humility, so confidence isn’t mistaken for arrogance. It’s about being adaptable without losing authenticity and ensuring that every step forward is strategic.

So, as I sit here, charting my next steps, I ask: Are you navigating life based on genuine ambition, or are you stuck in the expectations others have placed on you? Because in the end, the ones who make it aren’t necessarily the most talented, but the ones who are willing to adapt, evolve, and control their own narrative.

Now, the question is...how are you managing your expectations?

Some people move through life with no expectations, while others choose to acknowledge or ignore certain moments. We all witness different paths.. like the classmate who married a politician, someone who once shared the same school, same year, same vibes. Yet, when the time came, she walked past without a glance. It’s a reminder that while the past connects us, it’s the present choices that define the distance.