Expectation kills happiness

Points to speak:

• There is a popular saying that “High expectations are the key to everything“, which means high expectations can motivate us to maximize our potential and to achieve success.
• It is also true that high expectations can create a lot of pressure and can kill happiness. For example, if someone expected that he/she will score 99 marks out of 100, they will be disappointed even if they get 98 marks. Without that kind of high expectation, the result would have given so much happiness. But it may also be true that they got 98 marks because they aimed for 99, otherwise the marks would be lesser. So, expectations are good but tying happiness to the outcome can kill our happiness.
• When we help someone and expect help in return, there is a possibility of disappointment.
• In the workplace, when the employer conveys their expectations to the employee, he/she can work towards meeting those expectations. Similarly, employees should also express their expectations such as flexible work hours, positive work culture etc. So, in this case, having and communicating expectations clearly is very important. However, the expectations must be realistic.
• When we put high expectations on ourselves, sometimes it motivates us to work hard but sometimes it can affect our self-esteem negatively. This also prevents us from living in the present and enjoying the present moment because we tend to tie our happiness with future achievements.
• Over expectations may ruin happiness in relationships. But it is important to have some realistic expectations because it can prevent us from entering into toxic relationships. People only treat us the way we allow ourselves to be treated. For example, if we have a friend that demands so much help from us without helping us in return, we may tolerate it when we expect nothing from relationships. Some people may take advantage of our kindness and helping nature So, it is important to know that it is a toxic relationship in order to lead a peaceful life.
• Having expectations can give us clarity on what kind of life partner or friends we want in our lives. Clear expectations can eliminate confusion.
• Generalizations too create unnecessary expectations. For example, expectations on women to be excellent caretakers and also the expectations on men to be the main breadwinner can create unnecessary pressure and can ruin happiness.
• Past achievements also create high expectations. For example, some movies fail because people expect a lot from the movie due to the past achievements of the director or actors of the movie.

Conclusion:

Having realistic expectations can give us clarity and also can motivate us to work hard. But over expectations can ruin our happiness. So, balance is the key. Moreover, when we work towards meeting our expectations, we should not tie our happiness with the outcome, rather we should appreciate ourselves for the effort we put in.

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Photo by Kha Ruxury from Pexels

References:

• Why are expectations important in the workplace?

• Expectation kill the joy

• Why It’s Important To Have Expectations In Relationships

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