Great Expectations

Great Expectations

We ‘expect’ from almost everyone we know. It could be that you want someone to do something for you, behave in a particular way towards you, listen to you, want you or be there for you when needed. As human beings we depend on each other for our daily needs and wants, and we do ‘expect’ to a certain extent. Some may believe that their parents should bestow all ancestral property/assets to them since it’s their ‘duty’ to the children. Some may ‘anticipate’ their relatives to be loving and faithful towards them simply due to the fact that they share the same blood. Some may ‘want’ their friends to always have a listening ear to them or be there for them always. Some may ‘yearn’ for unconditional and everlasting love from a partner simply because that makes them happy.

What are we gaining by all these ‘expectations’. We are merely setting ourselves for ‘disappointment’. That might sound pretty outrageous to you, because in life we DO expect and depend on people, and that’s how we carry on with our daily challenges. But just think about a disappointment you may have experienced because of someone else. Think clearly if it was really because of the other person or was it simply because of your ‘expectation’ that it eventually lead to disappointment? We are so quick to judge and point the finger at the other person. You may say ‘it’s because of my friend’s carelessness that my feelings got hurt’, ‘it’s because of my ex-girlfriend’s selfishness that I’m so messed up’, ‘it’s because of my father’s pride that I couldn’t follow my dreams’, ‘it’s because of my mother-in-law’s ego that I can’t have a life’…etc. But hey wait a minute. No one’s stopping you from being happy except YOU! They didn’t force you to do/not do anything - you are just letting them manipulate your mind. How? By always ‘expecting’ and not preparing yourself for the ‘unexpected’. So when someone acts different to how you expected, you are highly disappointed and as a result may suffer from it needlessly.

We are human beings – we cannot always live up to someone else’s expectations neither can we expect others to behave the way we want them to. Disappointment sprouts when expectations aren’t met. So simply don’t expect! The key to staying happy and unaffected is by achieving a neutral state of mind. Don’t be overjoyed or over-saddened by someone else’s actions. Tame your mind to achieve a neutral state of emotions by not ‘expecting’ too much from others. Even if someone did/did not do something that hurt you, learn to forgive and move on with your life than dwelling on what they did to you. You are higher than that. You are a smart cookie :). So don’t be on the losing side by clinging on to someone else’s misdeed which would only upset you more. Train yourself not to expect and to be a smiling winner. Trust me, it’s a richly rewarding investment property once acquired.

Now who 'expected' the pic above? LOL!