“I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine,” said Bruce Lee.
Can you relate to this quote? Do you think that we as humans expect a lot? Do you think that learning to accept than to expect will leave us with few disappointments? Do you think that living without any expectation is possible? Do you also think that we expect from our near ones and not from strangers? Do you think keeping an expectation on ourselves is healthy?
All these thoughts came to my mind as I was doing a show on expectation at the radio. While I was talking about the line, “Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed,” it made me realize that the quotes on expectations are mere words, and it is not practical to implement them in everyday life. Human nature does not permit us to not expect. We do and will expect, no matter how much we discuss over it. The nature to expect is rooted within us because of the way we have been raised. The level only increases as we stay around people and we live in a society.
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We expect a stranger to be in a good behavior as much as we expect the person that we have hired for a service. These are two different situations. One that we do not encounter on an everyday basis and the other one is when the individual is bound to finish work. Our level of expectation might be different but we do expect.
We not only expect from a situation or people around us but our careers too. Imagine a scenario when you have worked hard, you would expect to be appreciated at the office. Expectations when fulfilled are a win-win situation for both parties. It is a problem only when people do not have the slightest idea of what they are expected of. Some individuals work to their best to fulfill the expectations of their seniors, while some just work without any expectation, though, it is always nice to receive when you are not expecting.
While we discuss, we expect that the sapling we’ve planted grow to become a big tree. We expect from ourselves, we challenge ourselves in many situations. There cannot be two ways about expectation, but the level of it can be lesser or more. Even saints expect us to follow their preaching. Their expectation is a bit different.
No matter how much we try not to, we just can’t help but expect a lot from people.
Bahety is a Chartered Accountant, and Client Servicing Executive at JWT Thompson Nepal, Durbar Marg.
