The Road to Hell is Paved in Expectations
Have you ever wondered why people hold grudges for years or feel as though they will be wronged even though the day didn't even start yet? What about going on a date and the other person has an unreasonable expectation of getting sex by the end of the night because they spent money during the course of the meet up? We can all think of at least a handful of events in which we ended up on the paved road of expectations. With that being said, how do you get away from having expectations or more importantly unreasonable expectations. First we need to define what an expectation is. Expectation in the Webster dictionary is defined as,
“To anticipate or look forward to the coming or occurrence of. To consider probable or certain to be forgiven. Expect that things will improve. To consider reasonable, due, or necessary expected hard work. To consider bound in duty or obligated.”
As you can see in the definition, expectations are nothing more than anticipating or looking forward as an obligatory process in which you put upon others. When you do such things you are trying to control people, places, and things and in reality we have no control in any of these areas. The trick is to recognize when we are doing such behaviors and for most we are not cognizant of when we are doing such things. However, by slowing down, taking time in making more objective decisions, and being less impulsive we can gain more control in how we react to these situations.
So the next time you feel as though you have been wronged in some way, slow down and take the time to think before you make a final decision. You may be putting an unrealistic expectation upon others or upon an situation. Remember, preconceived expectations only leads you to the pathway of resentments. Do yourself a favor and don’t let history repeat itself.
