"By asking the one simple question, 'How do I respond to expectations?' we gain exciting insight into ourselves. And when we know how other people respond to expectations, we understand them far more effectively, as well."
Gretchen Rubin

This month, we'll take a brief break from "Designing Your Life" to see how The Four Tendencies can improve our life design.

Gretchen Rubin writes: "We all face two kinds of expectations—outer expectations (meet work deadlines, answer a request from a friend) and inner expectations (keep a New Year’s resolution, start meditating). Our response to expectations determines our “Tendency”—that is, whether we fit into the category of Upholder, Questioner, Obliger, or Rebel.

"Knowing our Tendency can help us set up situations in the ways that make it more likely that we’ll achieve our aims. We can make better decisions, meet deadlines, meet our promises to ourselves, suffer less stress, and engage more deeply with others.

"Just as important, knowing other people’s Tendencies helps us to work with them more effectively. Managers, doctors, teachers, spouses, and parents already use the framework to help people reduce conflict and make significant, lasting change."

Take the quiz: https://quiz.gretchenrubin.com/

What to bring: your curiosity and communication challenges.