HOW TO HANDLE EXPECTATIONS

By Matata  Mercy

 Expectations can become roadblocks to our happiness.


Image credit:Art by Oluwafemi.

 This has happened to me and so today, i decided to write about it. 

One time I fell in love with a woman whom i loved so much. 

Whenever this woman asked for something, i willingly gave to her when I could. I had high expectations in her. 

My expectations were that one day we would get married and live together till death do us apart.

 Low and behold, I was wrong. 

My hopes were soon crushed by her actions when she told me that she is getting married to another man. 

The pain that ran through my body was like  I had been pierced by 10,000 nails all at once.

 All the promises and plans remained unfulfilled. Unhappiness had set itself into my life.

 So expectations can become a thorn in our flesh if not handled properly. 

Another side of the coin for this equation can also be having low expectations for outcomes.

 For example, supposing you are given a job and  your expectations are that you will be paid less money. 

And as soon as you complete the job, he asks you how much do you  want to be paid?

 You reply $500 and he hands you the money. Then he tells you that he thought you were going to ask for $1000. 

This will make you wish that you had asked him to pay you more for the job you did. 

So there is a catch 22 phrase between having expectations and low expectations.

 Probably the middle ground would be the best option but it is hard to achieve given the way our emotions can act on us. 

Some one once told me it is better to be surprised by outcomes than to be disappointed. 

Having high expectations will always leave us disappointed when we do not get the results that we desired.

 Having low expectations on the other hand can surprise us. 

In conclusion, having high standards but low expectations would be the best option.

 When you do work, ensure that you do your best work.

 If you are writing a book, have high standards for the book. 

Make sure that the punctuations are okay, no grammatical errors or even typos. 

Don't focus on getting readers put more effort in writing the best book. 

The rest will take care of itself. Good luck.

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