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Why You Should Stop Having Expectations

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Wisconsin chapter.

We all do it; you expect things in life to go as you planned in your head, but sometimes it doesn’t always turn out the way you hoped. The boy of your dreams broke up with you, the friend you thought you could count on lets you down, you’re not doing well in school—everything seems to be going downhill. There’s only one way we can get through all of those things that seem to be constantly putting us down: stop having expectations. Well, I know that’s easier said than done—I still struggle with this all the time. The only person who is going to be let down is yourself when you continue to expect more out of others and life itself. You might sever so many friendships and relationships without even realizing it. It may be tough to do, but this needs to end now. Just remind yourself of the great outcomes of putting those expectations behind you.

You can become more reliant on yourself

There comes a point in life where it’s time to grow up and be an independent woman. You have to start somewhere, so you might as well start now. Once you stop relying and counting on others for your happiness, you can become more confident in yourself and strength. You’ll be a stable person that can handle anything that life throws at you. And by the way, guys find that very attractive. 

You won’t be as disappointed as often

When you expect something to go the way you want and it doesn’t happen, of course you’ll be upset and get down on yourself. Instead of thinking about the outcome, enjoy the moment as it is.

Your relationships/friendships will be a lot stronger

Expectations can cause tension among significant others, friends, family, and so on. You will constantly argue about how that person let you down and they just won’t understand. As soon as you become more reliant on yourself and stop expecting from others, you can focus on the good parts of your friendship or relationship. You will be able to see more of the awesome qualities in that person, reminding yourself of why you’re friends with them.

Overall, you’ll be more content with life

You’ll be more independent (which who doesn’t like to be?), you’ll find yourself disappointed less often, and your relationships will be better. The quote, “When you release expectations, you are free to enjoy things for what they are instead of what you think they should be” is something you should live by every day. Don’t forget you are the only one who has to deal with you for the rest of your life. You just have to let go of those expectations in life.

Don’t think about what could happen or how someone might react—those are all unknowns. Focus on the now, and focus on yourself. You might find yourself a lot happier in the end. Goodbye expectations!

 

Food lover - dance enthusiast - professional napper.
Madison is a senior at the University of Wisconsin pursuing a major in English Literature with minors in Entrepreneurship and Digital Media Studies. Post college, Madison plans to complete her dreams of being the next Anna Wintour. In her free time, Madison enjoys listening to Eric Hutchinson, eating dark chocolate, and FaceTiming her puppies back home. When she isn't online shopping, or watching YouTube bloggers (ie Fleur DeForce), Madison loves exploring the vast UW Campus and all it has to offer! She is very excited to take this next step in her collegiette career as Campus Correspondent and Editor-in-Chief for HC Wisco. On Wisconsin!