Expectation can be a great thing.  When you have an attitude of expectation, you might positively think that things are going to work out in your favor or that your plans will come to fruition in the very near future.  These are all healthy forms of expectation.  However, sometimes we can expect things that are unrealistic and that can cause us a lot of unnecessary emotional stress.

What do I mean by that?  Well if you expect someone to help you, and they don’t, your expectation will cause you trouble.  You might be angry, sad or disappointed when you don’t get the help you thought you should.  If you expect that someone should treat you in a certain way and they don’t…maybe you did something nice and you never received so much as a thank you, or maybe you went out of your way to help and weren’t acknowledged for your generosity…you might also become resentful or disillusioned.

The level of expectation we place on others to make us happy, or to conform to our ideas of what we believe to be good and proper behavior, can oftentimes leave us frustrated.  So what do you expect?   I love this photo, because many times expectations can be dangerous.  I would suggest letting go of expectations, for the sheer benefit of alleviating yourself from these negative feels that naturally follow.

“This sounds impossible.  Isn’t it right to expect things from others?” you might ask.  Yes, it’s natural to expect that people be kind, thoughtful and generous, but many times they aren’t.  By simply knowing ahead of time what you want to do, and then doing it without looking for some sort of outside reciprocation, you can free yourself from this cycle of ups and downs.  It’s that easy.  Do things because you have made a decision to do them, knowing full well that it was your choice.   And when you do so, you begin to release others from your expectations, and then the pressure is off.  Others have no power to hurt you or disappoint you, and they also have no pressure to tip toe around you either, hoping to meet your expectations.  That places a lot of stress on everyone, you know.

So go ahead, I dare you.  Be a person with no expectations.  Flow with life.  Do the things you want to do, simply because you want to do them, and you’ll see how pleasant life can be when you give up any expectations of others.  Then when others sense that noose you unknowingly strapped around their neck by your expectations has been loosened, they will find joy in doing things for you, because they wanted to, not because you expected them to.  Yes, this one step, removing expectations, can do wonders in helping create peace in your life and in your relationships.

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