Michael

Expectations. We all have them. But do they really satisfy us? Do expectations create negative emotions more times than positive? Are they the root cause of some of our most disappointing times?

I think the answer is yes to all the above. Think about it. When we have expectations, it generally means we have given over control of our experience to someone or something else. For example, at the moment of an expectation with someone, we say to ourselves, “I expect a certain behavior from this person and when I get that behavior, I will be happier or feel better.” So, when the person doesn’t perform to your expectation, you get angry or upset or feel bad.

I’m really working on removing expectations from my daily life, because I don’t want to be dependent on external things to feel good. Don’t get me wrong. I’m finding this very difficult, but not impossible.

What I’m doing to eliminate expectations is figuring out what I want (i.e. a future reality) but keeping myself in a healthy and happy state in the present moment until I get there. I’m finding when I achieve this, I become much more relaxed (i.e. I don’t have any expectations to keep my anxiety level high).

I’m curious how you view expectations. Do you have similar feelings to what I have expressed here?

Have a great day,

Michael