Expectations

Well, it's Friday again, and I'm having a pretty good day so far.  This, obviously, is a good thing, but I'm trying something new.  Typically, I set expectations.  I set expectations for how I think a weekend will go, for how I think others should be, for how I should be and so on...  I'm learning that may not be the smartest thing to do.  Last weekend, I had high hopes that it was going to be a great weekend.  It wasn't bad, but it certainly had its low points (there were good points as well).  So, I've decided to put expectations to the side as best I can.  People will let you down, but it's not such a big deal if you didn't expect too much from them in the first place.  It's easier to be pleasantly surprised by people than it is to face a situation where they don't pull their weight, or what you expect their weight to be.  This all sounds negative, but that's not my goal with this post.

"I find my life is a lot easier the lower I keep everyone's expectations."
-Bill Watterson

So, I am going to try to rely less on others and focus more on taking things as they come.  I want to try to make the best out of every situation, no matter what happens.  That will be much easier if I don't have a certain picture in my mind of how things should or will go.  I'm going to attempt this new method of thinking starting now.  I really think it's agood idea, although it is coming across as a pretty dreary outlook on like...  Don't expect too much from people, but it's the truth.  People aren't generally "bad."  But everyone has their own things going on, so who am I to have my own list of expectations for them?  That being said, I do have a wonderful group of fiends who I know I can count on no matter what, but I really hope that when they are helping me with whatever it may be, they are doing it because they want to.  And I really hope that I'm not subconsiously expecting them to do anything.  I definitely don't think I am.  Part of the issue could be that I love helping others and being there for them, but not everyone is like that.

I think that, ultimately, I am trying to give everyone a fair shot with this.  Hopefully, this will keep me from being disappointed in others for no real reason.  I'd love to get better at letting things go...  As I've said in other posts, this is something that I'm really working on, but it isn't easy.  I may sound terrible, but I'm being honest, so there is something to be said for that, I think.  I'll let you know how all this goes.

"Anger always comes from frustrated expectations."
-Elliott Larson

I really like this one:
"The best things in life are unexpected - because there were no expectations."
-Eli Khamarov

"Blessed is he who expects nothing,for he shall never bedisappointed."
-Alexander Pope

"There are two ways to be happy: improve your reality, or lower your expectations."
-Jodi Picoult

"I'd rather be pleasantly surprised than fatally disappointed."
-Julia Glass