I heard someone say that expectations are simply resentments waiting to happen.
I think that’s probably true.
How many times do we “expect” things to be a certain way? Family to act a certain way? Bosses to be a certain way?
Our lives are FULL of expectations.
Now, how many times to people actually meet those expectations?
How often does our life reflect them?
I thought so.
What we see
Our view of how the world should be often differs from how the world IS. I know this from my own life.
Whether it’s family, health, the job or something else, very few things live up to their billing.
So what helps us keep resentment at bay?
Not taking it personally. Knowing that is usually not about us. It’s about them. And there’s not much we can do about it.
If there IS something we can do about it, such as own something or apologize, doing that will help clear the air.
What really is
But mostly, it’s about understanding that some of our expectations are not reasonable, often because the other party isn’t capable of them. Then, adjusting them and letting karma take care of it.
We’re asked to adjust our expectations all the time and when we’re able to do that, we maintain happiness (and our mental health).
Let go. Let it be.
Trust that life is unfolding as it is supposed to and that all will be well.
If you’re struggling with managing expectations, let’s talk about whether a coaching session or two might help. Contact Carol@Ahealingspirit.org
Sometimes our own expectations can get in the way of our success. We have to see past our limited view most of the time and look at the big picture.
Your last sentence reminds me that God brings good from all that happens. I am thankful for the reminder.
Letting has become my mantra for 2018. Thanks for the reminder
I truly believe that having too many expectations of others may sometimes disappoint us, but if we just let most of them go then we’ll be pleasantly surprised.
This is so true! Sometimes we really need to let go of our expectations and accept that things could never go as we planned.
Letting go is such a hard thing to do. A very inspirational post to read.
Carol, there is such wisdom in this post. I get so disappointed when things don’t turn out like I think they should – and they rarely do! Learning to manage expectations and let it go..good advice.
I think expectations are definitely something we should learn to let go of. It’s toxic and most of the time we end up getting disappointed.
I’ve learned not to expect a long time ago. Expectations stem from our own thoughts and mindset and not from the people that have expectations on. I think it’s really important that we learn to let go and just allow the people around us to do what they can and not what we expect them to do.
So very true! I always have expectations for my family, and I am always sadly disappointed. It is definitely something I need to work on in the new year.
I agree with everything you stated and I believe their are levels of expectation just as there are levels of letting go. Some are easy to brush off and others really sink their teeth in and bite without letting go until the dentist (therapists) pull those teeth out, us being willing of course.
I try not to expect things from people because then I don’t get let down if they don’t come through. I would rather do with just my husband and kids who usually don’t disappoint.
Very impressive post, expectations are far different from reality. We often don’t get what we expect and this leads to disappointment. One must learn to let go and move on in order to be happy.
I am so guilty of this. Expecting things to be perfect. And they never are. I just have to chalk them up to further learning. Yes. I’m slow.
This is so true! I try hard not too have unreasonable expectation of others. It’s so important to accept people where they are and help them grow personally, professionally and spiritually IF that is something they want. Anything else, leads to frustration and yes…resentment.
love this. I recently wrote something based on an awesome quote that I cam across : “what screws us up the most is the picture in our heads of what its supposed to look like.” i don’t know where it came from, but it resonated
This is a great post. So many of us have a definite disconnect between expectations and reality. There can be a huge gap there.