I learned an important lesson recently about how big a role expectations play in our emotional state and our happiness.

New Zealand is a beautiful country with amazing scenery, friendly people, and unpredictable weather.

The unpredictable weather however does not usually get very hot, and as a result, most homes and dwellings do not have air conditioning or even fans.

Opening the windows is usually enough for a hot day.

However when my wife and I visited recently, New Zealand had 3 of the hottest days it has had in quite some time.

The first day I was a little angry. I had been traveling for about 36 hours the day before, only slept a few hours the night before, and was jet lagged.

In a word, exhausted.

Get to the place we were staying and it is hot and stuffy.

There is no air conditioning.

There are no fans to circulate the air.

The breeze is not coming through the windows and it is summer so the sun is still up keeping things warm at 9 PM.

It wasn’t until after 10 that the room cooled down enough to easily fall asleep.

That first night being tired, hot and unable to get comfortable when we were expecting to have similar comforts to what we are used to in the US, we were a little upset.

But the next night, in the same location, same temperatures (maybe even a little hotter) we were not mad at all.

Because we knew what was coming. We expected it to be hot and to not have any means of circulating the air.

We knew the room would cool down after 10.

We were prepared mentally.

And being prepared mentally for a situation will help you maintain composure and make better decisions.

Keep getting wiser, stronger, and better.