Let’s assume you want to be happy in life.
Do you know the relationship between your expectations and your happiness?
Based on your life experience, you create a foundation for your expectations. It is more likely to be a subconscious process and is significantly influenced by environmental factors.
You have expectations of people you engage with on a regular basis. You have expectations of various big and small life events that can influence your future. And you also have expectations of yourself.
How do you know if your expectations are realistic or justified?
How do you know if your expectations are aligned with making you a happier person?
Has anyone ever taught you how to expect, what to expect, why to expect, or when to expect?
These are questions I would like you to reflect on.
To be happy more often than not, it is vital to understand the impact your expectations have on happiness.
Every time your expectation is met, you feel happy. The reverse is equally true. Any failure to meet an expectation, no matter how small, leads to disappointment and becomes a source of unhappiness. This provides an interesting insight into human nature.
‘Failed expectation is inversely proportional to your happiness.’
High expectations do not guarantee success, but they certainly increase the probability of failure. It’s much easier to fulfil lower expectations.
Here’s how you can ensure that your expectations are aligned with making you happy:
‘Expect less from others. Expect less from the environment or events. Expect less from yourself.’
The lower the expectation, the greater the opportunity for you to stay happy.
In today’s fast-paced, media-driven world, keeping low expectations is not easy. It helps to view it as a skill that you work on mastering over time.
You can set your own parameters to create realistic expectations and test them out. Reflect on how you feel when an expectation is met and when an expectation fails. Keep a check on your expectations, and you’ll be surprised by how resilient you can become to life’s uncertainties.