After so much frustration and disappointment, I have finally found the secret to happiness. I have found this incredible, surreal calm and psychological clarity in simply having low expectations when it comes to basically everything – people, experiences, and basically just for life overall.  Having low expectations how prevent us from feeling angry or disappointed.

It can make you pleasantly surprised when things actually work out in your favor, especially so when you weren’t expecting it.  Having low expectations also comes with a certain sense of self-acceptance.

Having high expectations are generally associated with feelings of sadness, frustration, anger, hurt and disappointment. When you create such grandiose hopes in your mind, and such an intense build up, you’re only setting yourself up for pain.   If your dream comes true, then that’s amazing, and you will only appreciate it even more if you weren’t expecting it.

Expectations often come from having a sense of peer pressure, making you feel like you should behave and look a certain way. If we try to meet these expectations and don’t succeed, it can make us feel bad about ourselves.

Make your decisions more purposeful and clear. Don’t make them based on what you’re expecting of others. You are once again, opening yourself up for a whole lot of potential let down.  Don’t do things because you’re looking for praise from others. If you want to volunteer or donate to charity, do it because you want to, for yourself.

Don’t feel bad for yourself because you made choices based on what other people’s expectations. Ultimately, you are in control of your actions.

Expectations cause us to think too much in advance and take us away from living in the moment.  Letting go of expectations from both yourself and others can help you live a calmer, more free life. You will start getting when you stop expecting.