Humans. We’re a fickle bunch, aren’t we?
We expect things to go certain ways. If we’re positive and upbeat, we usually experience good results, as we would expect. If we’re pessimistic, our results don’t tend to be as good, but they do tend to meet our lowered expectations. But when it comes to how people act? Different story. We expect them to act – or react – the way we want them to.
In my humble opinion, people are what they are. We all have our quirks and idiosyncrasies. We are all trying to navigate this thing called life as best we can, based on what we’ve been taught throughout our lives, and based on our life experiences up to this point. How we act – or react – to others is also based on where we’re at in our life’s progression. And yet…
And yet we sometimes expect someone we know, who always acts a certain way, to act differently. When they don’t meet our expectations, we become frustrated. Angry, even. Which is pretty insane, if you think about it. If we want – or expect – a certain reaction from someone who we already know (in our hearts) will not give us that reaction, we get miffed. Madness. Sheer madness.
If we accept people for exactly what and who they are, we can’t be disappointed. Our expectations will always be met. And here’s the best thing: we’ll be happy and relaxed and at peace – with others, with ourselves, and with our little section of the world, because everything is going exactly as it should, based on our expectations.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Namaste. 🙏
~ jwb ~
I have found this to be true in my life. We each have been given a life to live, and you cannot live it for another person. It does no good to get frustrated or disappointed if someone doesn’t “listen to your sage advice” or “live up to their potential”. All you can do is wish them well and bless their journey.
Exactly! We tend to project what we want, what we believe, and what we would do, were we in their shoes, onto them. They are not us. And they are doing exactly what they should be doing, whether we agree or not!