I am back on my bandwagon of  ‘Managing Expectations’!  This is such a common dilemma for most people that I interact with (including myself) that it is worthy of another mention. Many of us struggle with things that are beyond our control.  We may believe that  friends should behave in a particular way, people should return favours, we should be more appreciated when really it is not our role to decide how the world SHOULD be. It is not up to us to make rules for how everyone SHOULD behave and any attempt at this will often result in us spiraling down into unhappiness.

While many of our expectations may sound reasonable (like a friend remembering our birthday) often, these things won’t happen! So having this expectation leaves us feeling frustrated and disappointed.

There is a better strategy. Demand less, and instead, have preferences! For things that are beyond our control, we can tell yourselves:

“I WOULD PREFER “A”, BUT IF “B” HAPPENS, IT’S OK TOO!”
We might prefer that people are polite.. but when they are rude, it doesn’t ruin our day.
We may prefer sunshine.. but if it rains, it is ok too!

To become happier, we either need to:
a) Change the world, or
b) Change our thinking.
It is easier to change our Thinking!

I hope this helps!

Talk soon

Helen.