The day I stopped having expectations is the very day I started living. You see, I used to trust too much and when I got disappointed I hurt on an equal measure. When things didn’t go as I had planned or as I had thought they should, I ended up frustrated. When someone failed to honour their word, I felt let down and became untrusting.
Having such experiences repeatedly made me cynical and cautious with everyone and everything in life. Every unmet expectation weighed me down. The stress that came with it made life unfulfilling. It was energy draining. I had to find a way out. I had to do things differently.
I stopped having expectations on people. Having a bad feeling because someone had let me down only hindered me from opening myself to better relationships. Of course we expect something from the people in our lives but if we stop expecting them to act or behave in a specific way, we may be pleasantly surprised by how unique they really are.
Expectations only clogged my mind, the amount of energy I spent on analyzing what should have and what shouldn’t have been, what so and so should have or shouldn’t have done increased my internal noise. I worried over things that I could never change.
With nothing to expect, my mind is clearer and my energy is channeled to things that matter, things that I can change to live better.
Don’t expect your husband to remember your birthday, don’t expect any gifts from him because if you put your expectations high, you will end up disappointed if he forgets. Don’t expect him to remember your wedding anniversary too.
Don’t expect your spouse to know what you are thinking. Don’t expect them to behave the way you want them to.
It is not bad to create some sort of expectation. But expect less. Be flexible and have some room for disappointment. That way, you can easily bounce back to normalcy in case things don’t go your way.
High expectations will only make you anxious. Don’t let those expectations hinder you from enjoying the present. Less expectations less disappointments.
Finally, if a situation or relationship doesn’t work out at all, it’s still worth it if it made you feel something new and if it taught you something new.
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