Expectations

Expectations are all around us. I have expectations of what other people should do or how they should fee. I have expectations about how I should be treated by other people. I have expectations about how my food should taste. I have expectations about how much my pay check should be. We all have expectations. Maybe that is why we all get dissappointed so often.

When you go into a situation with an expectation, chances are you will be dissappointed. Especially if you have not communicated that expectation to the other people involved. How do you expect people to meet your expectations if they do not know what those expectations are. It is not uncommon for two people to have two different expectations of a situation. That is where a disconnect happens.

Someone at work today asked me if I had problems in my first year of marriage. I told them that everyone has problems in their marriage. I also told them that most of those problems are due to unrealistic expectations and lack of communciation. I think the two go hand-in-hand.

Communciation is the most important thing in any relationship, whether it be a work relationship or with your spouse. Without effective communication, your relationship will fail.

Expectations are difinitely second most important on my list. I think if we can stop projecting our expectations onto others we will be much more satisfied. Our work and personal relationships will be much more rewarding and we will be happier as a society.

The problem is that it is very difficult to stop having expectations for people. I try really had to remove expectations, but it is hard to do it all of the time. It is something that you can never stop working on.