We often have expectations about what we think is going to happen with our family, friends, health, employer, community, government and so many more. When we stop to think about how much we expect from the world around us, the list can get quite large. We often become emotionally attached to the outcome of these. Maybe some disappointment, doubt and anger surfaces when events don’t align with our standards. Our own behavior and what we want most is deeply intertwined with our expectations in life’s events.
What we think is going to happen stems from a lifetime of mental conditioning. Through repetitive exposure, we come to predict how someone or something will operate; and like it or not, our own consistent behaviors influence what others anticipate from us as well. How we think things will go doesn’t always line up with what happens. When this occurs, we are faced with a choice on how to handle it. Do we become angry or sad, allowing it to fester into resentment, or do we take charge of our own emotional well-being and strive to make the best of the situation? Sometimes vocalizing our feelings is helpful, but we can also acknowledge what is within our own capability to influence. Ultimately, we are responsible for making our own circumstances the way we envision it.
Placing a heavy emphasis on our expectations has the potential to cause emotional issues to arise. We know that most endeavors can be done with help, and that’s when we can do our best to work as a cohesive unit whenever possible. Beyond that, we can take charge of our own destiny and independently act within our capacity and release what is out of our control. As the famous saying goes: “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.”
Action:
What do you expect out of everyone and everything in your life? No doubt you will find that the list continues on and on, even if you say you don’t expect much. Think back to some recent expectations of yours that have not been satisfied. How has it made you feel? Have you been able to let it go or does it consume your thoughts? What ways can you contribute to producing a satisfactory outcome? Respecting that others have their own choice to make and taking charge of what happens in your own life can help relieve emotional strain of expectation. How would it feel if you substituted any disappointment that arises with gratitude? Sometimes we are surprised to find that there is benefit in the unexpected. If you feel the situation is out of your control to rectify, settling into the comfort of your choices will help you find the value and blessings out of what did happen.
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