We are human and it is in our nature to expect. Expect love, gifts, appreciation etc. And when these expectations are not fulfilled we get upset. Such expectations need not necessarily be only from others but from even things that we ourselves have control over, such as life. Such unfulfilled expectations are also because we start comparing ourselves with others around us. Which is why even the rich are sometimes dissatisfied. Similar situations also happen in case of thwarted communications and breakdowns. The only way you can control such emotions is when you start being content and manage your expectations well.
Managing expectations does not necessarily mean you don’t expect, but in my opinion it means not expecting unrealistically and / or unnecessarily. Once you are not expecting and then when you get something, you get delighted, you feel grateful and are appreciative; and if you don’t get anything, you are unaffected.
Something that I learnt as an entrepreneur and now while in an entrepreneurial role is that focusing on actions is more important keeping your eye on realistic goals than expecting outcomes that are not in line with reality. If the intent is right, and you are delivering what you promised, and the expectations are realistic, the journey can be fulfilling. The problem happens when the things are going right and just like you had planned, but then you get over ambitious and lose track of reality. You start having expectation that are way beyond reality, whether in terms of the outcome expected, or getting greedy about expecting more from the same. This is when the journey becomes unfulfilling and thus disheartening. To me this is the worst disservice one can do to himself (or herself) as a leader. I am not suggesting that one must not be unreasonable as a business-person, but I personally feel is that if we set out on a journey which is planned with expecting realistic goals in line with your actions, you will be fine. But also, there are people who don’t take actions worrying about outcomes and not getting expected outcomes. I think they experience being upset even more.
Life is a journey in which learning never stops, and I am still learning to:
- Take bold steps based on my convictions not bothering about the outcome
- Not have unrealistic expectations
