Breaking Away from Expectations
Overcoming Self-Expectations: A Stepping Stone into Self-Acceptance and Empowerment.
Every one of us has a story to tell about how they’ve dealt with expectations and how it affected their lives and who they are, and maybe the expectations that we set for ourselves is one of those struggles that persist, a challenge that we have to face every day for a reason.
1. How to Manage Expectations
- Focus on the process, not the outcome: Be it the goal to stay in shape, or to get that job promotion, the excitement to achieve the end goal always remains the main aim of our journey; we expect ourselves to achieve the goal by any means, and we track our progress with numbers: weight, how many times we meditated, etc. Ironically, that prompts more stress than the end results. What if we shift our focus to enjoying the process instead? and, to be attentive to how our body, mind, and spirit respond to the changes?
- Be flexible: Whether you’re someone who doesn’t mind a last-minute change of plans (like me!) or if it is your ultimate pet peeve, there is no denying the sense of frustration that stems from the realization of your efforts not paying off; If your initial approach is causing you more tension and dread than that sweet feeling of accomplishment, then maybe that is a clear sign that it is time you change it.
- Be Specific and authentic: Ambition is key in the spirit of goal setting and achieving our aspirations! However; it seems that we are more likely to achieve our goals if they are specific. In this context, a technique I have been using is to use action verbs to express my goal as well as the language that most speaks to me. For instance, instead of saying “Be consistent with my workout plan”, I phrase it as “Express love for my body today”; it gives me more freedom and enhances a more patient and loving attitude to attain my goal.
2. The Wisdom of Self-Expectations:
The journey towards accepting and embracing all parts of oneself is lifelong; Managing the expectations we set for ourselves is just one aspect of the challenges we have to face. By doing so, we grow as individuals and we nurture a more mindful and compassionate attitude towards ourselves instead of falling into self-blame and criticism. At the end of the day, becoming our best version is the true benefit and long-term vision that we need to seek.
I hope that my article was helpful to you! I wish you a lovely summer!
Thank you for reading,
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