Expectations #1

I am getting sick of getting asked/expected to do things that people wouldn't even do, or bother to even think of doing themselves. Expectations. It's a very powerful word. It scares us, it inspires us, and it trains us. It can put us down and bring us up. It goes back to what I had mentioned before in a previous entry about positive thinking but going a step further, it has a lot to do with perception. People perceive things however they want but a lot of times expectations are made based upon false perception of what they should be instead of what they really are. Sometimes we do not even know what to expect so we default to expecting the worst. It's not probably the most beneficial way to go about living our lives.

A definition of expectation is the degree of probability that something will occur. I guess with that definition we could almost expect anything. There is almost always a degree of probability of most things. Things like this open up a world of possibilities of things that can go wrong or right. I'm not saying that all expectations are bad. Expectations are a part of our daily lives and are important. If I am expecting to get to work at a certain time and I didn't expect a traffic jam to waste 20minutes of my drive time, my entire day could get thrown off. I'm also not saying that I should be negative and give myself an extra hour each day for traveling but I do allot about 15 or so minutes in case something happens. I think that is responsible. If I get to work too early, I get to sit outside and have a cup of coffee. (Since this is my blog, I will add that I wish people would give themselves a few more minutes every day so I don't have to deal with their horrible drive like your life depends on it driving like its our fault that they are running so late!)

In my opinion expectations of people is what I find to be where the most challenging issues can arise. I am staring to learn a lot about that. I feel that we shouldn't put too much expectations on people and that they shouldn't put too much on us either. Everyone is different and what works for one might not work for another. I do not feel that we should make excuses for ourselves or other people either. I am trying not to really expect much from people. That way, I won't get disappointed. I definitely do not expect good customer service. I do not expect people to have the same beliefs as me. I do not expect people to understand me. I do not expect people to agree with me or even listen to me. There are certain things that I used to expect but do not anymore.

I get aggravated when people over or under expect of me. I'm sure that is something that probably annoys most people. I get really annoyed when people start talking about things and will just expect me to agree with them because its the popular belief. Another of my aggravations is when people will just expect me to be judgmental because they have a false view of who Catholics really are and what we are all about. Probably the worst thing of all to do to someone is say that you expected better from them. In case they are already not upset enough for falling short especially when they did the best they could, you just made them feel worthless.

On the upside...(of course since I'm all about positive thinking and building people up, there is an upside,) Sometimes, having expectations about what someone is capable of and relaying that to them will actually inspire them to do better but it all depends on how you do it. Since expectations have a lot to do with perception, remember to stay positive. Don't expect too much though. So just be careful about what sorts of expectations you put on people. I could probably go on and on about this but I'll stop here.