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You woke up this morning and expected it would be a great day, yet the start has been shaky. You spilled the tea and realized the deadline for the presentation is today. Cursing the day you decided to work at this job, you get through the day, left wanting more from your life.
Expectations can be a great thing; they help us strive for a better future. They help us push ourselves to be more, yet they can also cause unimaginable pain and grief.
When you expected your boss to recognize you, only to promote someone else, you expected your friends to be there when you hit an all-time low in life, only to realize you are all alone.
Expectations make us fantasize about a different life from what we have. In doing so, we miss what’s in front of us. If we give it a chance, it’s good enough. We only need to look at what we have instead of what we don’t.
Our “Hope” For Life:
How many times we hope for something more, if only our partner were more agreeable, our colleagues more noticing of our plight, and our boss appreciative of our efforts. Somewhere we want life to be more than what it is.
We do not only hope. We end up giving everything to this hope. To these vain thoughts and fantasies, and when disappointment comes.
We’re anxious, even desperate.
How Life Is:
Life itself is enough if we allow ourselves to notice what is in front of us. The ordinary and the unglamorous is how we view our day to day activities. The glitz resides in our heads.
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In doing so, we miss the wonder life has to offer, The cool breeze, the shining sun, the smile of a child, and the stars at night.
When we accept what we have now, we can let go and build our ideal life.
Expectations aren’t all bad:
Once we see how life is, expectations can help us recenter towards what is possible. It can channel our innermost desires into achieving something satisfying and personal.
Expectations are the fuel of our soul.
Without them, we wouldn’t have anything to work towards, look forward to, and achieve. It’s when we get lost in our fantasies for hours, the problem begins.
Conclusion:
There is a stark contrast between the world in our mind and how it is. The notion of fairness, equality, and fulfillment all seem to be hazy when paying attention to it.
Alas, without seeing the reality, we only move in circles.
Only when we accept it can we move towards our ideals and convictions.