Thursday, November 15, 2012

Low expectations are the key to happiness.

I recently was show a graphic that looked like this, and it explained why I am annoyed by all that is wrong in my world.
You see, there is a gap between expectation and reality and in this rendition of these two aspects of life the gap between them is labeled frustration. The gap between expectation and reality is where frustration lives, frustration with our situations, our loved ones, and ourselves. Typically, people try to alleviate this frustration by forcing reality closer to our expectations, but that is extraordinarily difficult.

In most cases, it would be much more sensible to bring our expectations into closer proximity to reality. This is not to say, of course, that we shouldn't have standards, or just accept anything and everything that comes along. But how much needless frustration have you suffered because of an unmet expectation that was just too far away from reality? 
I know I've experienced plenty!

OK, so that is the speech I plan to open with when I explain to my sister why I am so bad at remembering to call her. What do you think? Am I off the hook?

5 comments:

lime said...

i know someone who tells me expectations are premeditated resentments. i dunno if that will help your case with the esteemed elder sister though.

Logophile said...

Oh my, well... I disagree with that a bit, I think. Most expectations are not meditated upon, never mind PREmeditated. The tend to be unconscious or subconscious assumptions about how things are going to be, or should be.
Some expectations might fall into that category but I wouldn't say that is a fair or accurate description of all expectations.

Anonymous said...

damn she beat me to it

Anonymous said...

and i disagree - most expectations are so over meditated that they form into unwieldy beats that have no hope of being met. and being the silly humans that we are, when our expectations are not met...especially of ourselves...we raise the bar a little higher.

duh.

Bijoux said...

My husband had to take this approach with his parents and give up on his expectations of what supportive parents/grandparents act like. It's saved him a world of hurt, let me tell you!