So the other day, I had a discussion. It has been said that my expectations are often too high, which leads me to be disappointed. For example, if I go to a restaurant with no expectations, then I like it. But then, once I like the restaurant, I go there with high expectations, and I may be disappointed. So the question remains--which is better? Having high expectations or low?
Also, the idea arose: how does this idea of expectations tie into optimism and pessimism? I would argue that the person with high expectations is an optimist, and the person with low expectations is a pessimist. However, one could argue that if the person with high expectations is always disappointed, and the person with low expectations is always satisfied, then perhaps having high expectations could lead to having a pessimistic outlook on life because your expectations are never met.
I tend to think that even though having low expectations could arguably lead to more satisfaction in life, it could also lead to less of a desire to strive for excellence. What I can say? I expect excellence from the restaurants I attend. :)
Stacy, it's been a while since I looked at your blog. I'm glad you started one. I love that you posted about expectations. Brad and I joke that our family motto is "no expectations", because having expectations usually leads to disappointments. However, we both know it really kind of depends on the situation. For example, I try not to have any expectations about what I am going to get done during the day, because invariably I will then just deal with crying babies all day, I won't check anything off my to-do list, and I'll feel like a failure. Also, when a person's actions are beyond our control or influence, we expect nothing from them. Then we're just pleasantly surprised if they perform well. However, we do want to have high expectations for ourselves, and we want our children to know we have high expectations for them (even if we secretly try not to expect too much out of them). Does that make sense? It is a bit of a dilemma, I agree.
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