Disappointment. Not to start this conversation on a negative note, but read through and you’ll know why this 14-letter word was stated
- Expectations are a one-sided commitment of the brain of the expectation keeper. The other end is oblivious of the imaginative and creative thoughts pertaining to them.
- When things or people live up to your expectations or beyond them, i.e., the rare case, there is a moment of happiness I agree, but it is outlived in a day or two. Sometimes, the third day, you start taking it a step forward and build a greater number of expectations from the same source, only to end up realising that nothing is permanent, no service, no man or woman, no cars etc. Yes, it’s a fact.
- Expectations get influenced many-a-times. You start expecting the same for yourself, on seeing other live episodes and examples thus thinking beyond the capacity of the things you keep expectations from. Our head is one workroom, capable of constructing situations or scenarios impossible to be comprehended by the other end.
Let’s take a few examples.
Rahul expected an Xbox on getting good grades in an exam. And there it was, the next day on the bed. Surprise, Surprise, enters momentary happiness. You get into a good college, expecting to ride a fancy bike, and your parents instead invite relatives over to celebrate. Well, I sense a hint of disappointment in Rahul’s eyes on seeing the Roti-Dal(Indian bread and curry) laid out on his big day for the party.
You go to a fancy restaurant with shimmering lights dimming the other lights surrounding it. You start expecting delicious food and your stomach starts growling. Enters the waitress all suited up with her hair bouncing on her shoulders and takes your order of the uniquely named dishes. Now comes the food, cold, and as soon as it touches your tastebuds, they repent being taste buds in the first place.
Sam is the topper of your class, and he sees your fellow classmate who flunked a class play a chess match and also win it. Now he expects that if this guy who failed can do it, then I(Sam) am definitely going to ace it. His arena of capability extends only up to good grades in the exams and Sam fails at it since its nor his interest neither his capability.
I know, it may come as a crashing realisation since our brain is sort of engineered to keep expecting even after being proved wrong many a times, but let us have this realisation today itself, that that 14-letter word I stated can be changed using this brain of ours. Disappointment can upgrade to satisfaction, which can again upgrade to content. These are some ways that I discovered are helpful:
- Stop assuming that they should know. Tell or at least drop hints for the other end about what you expect from them. Be it expectations from the upcoming iPhone battery life or from your loved ones. You’ll notice the change in effort and its degree by them.
- Stop Comparing things or people. Each one of them has their own purpose or area of expertise that they might surprise you within a better way. Maybe your mom can not cook you a yummy cake like Shortcake’s mother but she can definitely weave you a prettier sweater than Shortcake’s mom with your initials on it. Let’s suck it in and be happy with what we have.
- Let’s not depend on these expectations to control our mood. Let’s not hand over the key to our mood to these expectations and rather keep them safe in another safe so that it can be operated by us and us only.
I never, ever, ever recommend or suggest to stop expecting since it gives us something to look forward to and keeps us excited at the end of the day. That feeling might just be the one to live and die for. Experience and know that never let these expectations make you fall into the pit of disappointment. FEED THESE POINTERS INSIDE YOUR BRAIN AND UPGRADE TO THE SATISFACTION CLASS AND ULTIMATELY THE CONTENT CLASS.
