X-Spec-Tations
Expectations are funny things. When they are met or exceeded, we dismiss it all and say “Well, that’s the way it SHOULD be, so no big deal.” But when they aren’t met and we are disappointed, we have a meltdown or spiral down into negativity…we point fingers or feel shame or quit in disgust or all of the above…in a word, our day is ruined.
I wonder why we don’t seem to celebrate the good things as excessively as we bemoan the bad things? My theory is it has something to do with survival…the early humans who focused on not dying by fixing negative things lived long enough to reproduce successfully…those who dwelled on the fact that they managed to live another day and didn’t immediately get to work on building shelter for the coming storm, not so much.
But however it might have happened, we all tend to be pessimists and in our modern lifestyle it is now killing us rather than ensuring our survival. Study after study has shown that people who have short memories about negative events, and who dwell on celebrating positive events, are happier, healthier, more successful, and longer-lived. Don’t get me wrong…identifying and fixing problems is still critically important to a good life…but maybe we don’t need to turn into drama queens and lose all composure every time it rains when the forecast promised sun.
For me, I plan to make a point of flipping the script on expectations. When they’re met or exceeded I will pump my fist and yell a big victory whoop. When they aren’t, I will try to shrug and move on…fix what is fixable, but move on without drama.
Here endeth the lesson on unmet expectations.
Bike Newbie 