My son is reading a series of books for which a series of movies has also been made. The deal he and I made months ago was that after he finished a book, then and only then could he watch the movie associated with that book. I told him that reading at least two chapters a day would allow him to finish by the date he wanted to finish. Well today he told me that he only has 10 more chapters to read and that the book is so good that he wishes he could read more than 2 chapters a day so he could watch the movie sooner. I realized that he had been reading “at most” two chapters, when I’d told him to read “at least” two chapters. I was reminded that many times we do as little as we can and then get frustrated when situations in our lives don’t change as quickly as we’d like. In this case, my son really thought I was enforcing a limit on him that I had never intended! Needless to say, he read five more chapters before he went to bed! I’m sure he will be watching the movie tomorrow! He learned that going above and beyond that which is expected is the way to achieve dreams and desires. I learned that instructions and expectations must be clearly stated and understood, no matter how small the task.