Disappointment is a bitch.
Be it a relationship, friendship or online shopping gone wrong, anything failing to live up to expectation leaves us with that awful lackluster taste of discontent tinged with resentment.
I once believed that if you don't have any expectations, particularly of people, then you won't be under threat of dissatisfaction later down the track. “Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed”, said poet Alexander Pope.
Really though - that all sounds a little bit sad.
Why shouldn't we expect good things from people, life and the elements in it? Expectations are based on what we feel we deserve, and often based around our values and beliefs - perhaps even our goals. Surely it's not being unrealistic or over the top to feel entitled to a certain level of fulfillment with our preconceived ideals.
Of course, as is life, we don't always have control over the external factors which influence our expectations. When you're hungry, you order something offered to you on the menu. It's not being unrealistic to expect your meal to be satisfying, but it might end up being anything but. So while some say that avoiding disappointment is a matter of setting realistic or lower expectations, sometimes it's not that straight forward.
Expectation gives us hope. It may have the possibility of leading us to discontent, but it makes us believe - in people, in ourselves, in life's future possibilities.
Maybe, in divine irony, the antidote to disappointment is to set new expectations; don't settle for anything less than you deserve and never shortchange your own values.
Sure, people and events let us down. We let ourselves down. Disappointment can be a bitch - but so can life. And when life gives us lemons, we should make lemonade - and expect it to taste fantastic. ;)
With love,
LMM xoxo
Be it a relationship, friendship or online shopping gone wrong, anything failing to live up to expectation leaves us with that awful lackluster taste of discontent tinged with resentment.
I once believed that if you don't have any expectations, particularly of people, then you won't be under threat of dissatisfaction later down the track. “Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed”, said poet Alexander Pope.
Really though - that all sounds a little bit sad.
Why shouldn't we expect good things from people, life and the elements in it? Expectations are based on what we feel we deserve, and often based around our values and beliefs - perhaps even our goals. Surely it's not being unrealistic or over the top to feel entitled to a certain level of fulfillment with our preconceived ideals.
Of course, as is life, we don't always have control over the external factors which influence our expectations. When you're hungry, you order something offered to you on the menu. It's not being unrealistic to expect your meal to be satisfying, but it might end up being anything but. So while some say that avoiding disappointment is a matter of setting realistic or lower expectations, sometimes it's not that straight forward.
Expectation gives us hope. It may have the possibility of leading us to discontent, but it makes us believe - in people, in ourselves, in life's future possibilities.
Maybe, in divine irony, the antidote to disappointment is to set new expectations; don't settle for anything less than you deserve and never shortchange your own values.
Sure, people and events let us down. We let ourselves down. Disappointment can be a bitch - but so can life. And when life gives us lemons, we should make lemonade - and expect it to taste fantastic. ;)
With love,
LMM xoxo
