"Expectation is the mother of all frustration."
The number of times my expectations have led me astray or erratically gone postal on someone (in my head, not literally) has happened more often than I'd like to admit. I want to believe all of us have experienced this sort of feeling--whether it was a major downfall or just a meager occurrence that found its way blown of out proportion.
We all have expectations. As we should. Without expectations I don't think we have a solid sense of what we want, value, believe or hope to achieve.
However, I came to realize in my younger (college years, particularly) that my expectations of certain people, things, events and even myself were beyond what they should have been. I managed to decide ahead of time how things would be or how it would turn out without letting it all "just happen." There was a sense of control in expecting and without it I felt vulnerable.
The number of times my expectations have led me astray or erratically gone postal on someone (in my head, not literally) has happened more often than I'd like to admit. I want to believe all of us have experienced this sort of feeling--whether it was a major downfall or just a meager occurrence that found its way blown of out proportion.
We all have expectations. As we should. Without expectations I don't think we have a solid sense of what we want, value, believe or hope to achieve.
However, I came to realize in my younger (college years, particularly) that my expectations of certain people, things, events and even myself were beyond what they should have been. I managed to decide ahead of time how things would be or how it would turn out without letting it all "just happen." There was a sense of control in expecting and without it I felt vulnerable.
Even before reading a recent article, I knew my expectations didn't necessarily have to be lowered--they just needed to be in my back pocket and trusted (even though, you never know what life will give you). By doing so, my relationship with Jamie changed drastically. By doing so, my own personal struggles were nurtured. By doing so, my ability to complete the mundane tasks seemed less strenuous. By doing so, the toxicity of some relationships went by the wayside and the genuineness of others' flourished. (This is still an ever-revolving door that needs fine-tuning.)
I suppose this topic speaks to me as a gentleman who recently wrote about this very subject states:
Expectation - Observation= Frustration
If we consistently have expectations of something or someone and they aren't met (observation) than we will consistently feel frustration. Simple, yet a powerful math equation that I can even understand (I am really stupid at math). Therefore, by taking this equation and applying it to myself, marriage, friendships, work, the boys and whatever curve ball is thrown--I can "hopefully" be less frustrated, and more at peace.
(Always a work in progress)