I believe one of the most challenging things in life is to realize that our expectations of others very seldom has anything to do with other people’s expectations for themselves.
We truly wish the best and only have good intentions when it comes to our expectations of our families and friends, and depending upon our position in the workplace, we have good expectations of our coworkers or employees,however, we must remember we live inside our lives, not theirs.
We live inside the intricacies of our own lives, making daily decisions, some mundane and unimportant, some life changing, and some life altering not only for us, but for others. We cannot possibly know all the details, emotions, and decisions another person has to make every day. Therefore we cannot begin to guess what these decisions and emotions have on another person’s expectations for themselves.
We may find ourselves disappointed, disheartened, and disillusioned that others did not meet the expectations we put upon them. Sadly, we hardly ever ask other people what determining factors went into the formulation of their expectations for themselves, instead we show our disappointment and disapproval. People constantly change their goals, expectations, and dreams for themselves due to factors that unless we ask, we never know.
What we may think is a correct and wondrous expectation of someone, may be the exact opposite of what they truly desire to achieve at this point in their lives. Their goals and dreams are just that, theirs, not ours. It is indeed a hard lesson to learn for most of us.
The bare truth of the matter is this we can only set expectations and goals for ourselves, not others. We can give advice when it’s asked for, we can give guidance if we have experience, but we cannot live anyone Else’s life, but our own.
Most people only wish the best for others, whether it is family, friends, or coworkers. But I believe the lesson to be learned is we only own one life that we are solely, individually responsible for and that is our own.
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