Great Expectations

Great Expectations.  Really?  How great are they?  You go into life, relationships, jobs, events etc. with ridiculously high hopes and expectations that simply cannot be lived up to.  In my opinion, all these great expectations are good for is disappointment.  Have you ever noticed that you have the most fun when you expect to be bored out of your mind?  Life becomes a lot more gratifying when you give great expectations the ole heave ho. 

As many friends and I prepare to cross that threshold into our late twenties, we bring with us past expectations, new realities and hopes for the future.  By 25, some friends thought that they’d have children.  By 25, many friends thought they'd be married and living as far away from their parents as humanly possible.  By 25, I thought I’d be wildly successful and swimming in money at my gorgeous house on a lake.  In reality, however, most of us are childless, marriage-less and, for all intents and purposes, penniless. 

I sometimes wonder what would happen if I visited my 15 year old self and showed her the 25 year old reality.  She would have to face a world of ‘car repair bills,’ ‘credit card debt’ and 'Mr. Wrongs.'  I dont think she'd be able to handle it.  In my vision she's flailing herself onto her bed while sobbing uncontrollably into her pillow, utterly destroyed.  (She's very dramatic. I'm sure she grows out of that:)

Theatrics aside, the problem is that we are judging our real life satisfaction on the ideals of some 15 year old, naive little girl or boy.  When these great expectations don’t mesh with current realities, we get upset and frustrated.  For what reason?  Because some 15 year old thought they could plan their life?

Obviously having no expectations for the future is unrealistic.  Having expectations is completely natural.  But the key is to not let your expectations become so great that they overshadow all the wonderful things your life has to offer. 

Every few months I take a stock of everything in my life.  First, I write down what I like and what I dont, what works and what doesnt.  Then, I decide what needs changing, make a plan and change it.  Does my life magically change overnight? No.  Will your life be amazingly fantastic, all you ever dreamed of overnight?  Probably not.  It takes work and dedication but if you let go of all those great expectations, you learn to appreciate what you have.  And trust me, that can drastically change your life!

~E