The Power Behind High Expectations

Why do people always expect the worst?

Isn't this the reason that people are afraid to trust again after getting out of bad relationships? Because the one person he or she cared about more than anyone else let them down (screw me for the pronoun/antecedent agreement), broke their trust, and proved themselves incapable of dependability.

That's one scenario. How about disappointment? Now how does that happen? When people's expectations are lowered. That implies that the expectations were high . . . er, higher until someone did something in order to disappoint them, therefore, lowering their expectations.

I could keep going here. If you really dig deep, you can find that a number of factors cause people to continually lower their expectations, sometimes until they amount into nothing at all. Life shouldn't be that way, if my opinion means anything. We should be able to have high expectations and not plan on lowering them in advance when we're let down. We should have the ability to trust and depend that people will not let us down all of the time.

You have to keep in mind that people are human, and that they do make mistakes. But I don't want to expect the worst from people just so I won't be disppointed in the end when someone breaks my heart, or loses my trust, or doesn't come through for me. I want to expect a lot of people, I want to impart my trust in others, I want to believe in the best that people have to offer. Is this possible nowadays with how untrustworthy people have become? Why do we always have to use the words, "now don't tell anyone." I thought that was a given, especially when people are close. But no. People have proven themselves liars in many cases.

I'm just as guilty. No doubt, I've let down even the closest of my friends and family. I find it interesting how it's the people that mean the most to us who usually let us down, and we let down in return. It's the close people that disappoint us and hurt us the most - not our enemies. Our friends, our family. And that pain hurts more than anything.

Disappointment, pain, heartache. It's all inevitable. No exit signs there. But I'm keeping my expectations high, regardless of the downhill trend to lose trust. I think there's a little bit of good in everyone, and as much as it hurts to be be let down, I rather be disappointed than to never have trusted and hoped at all.

Besides, I want people to expect more of me. Isn't that how I become a better person? It gives me a goal to push toward, not slide under.

Expect more of people, and don't get nervous when others expect more of you. Expectations don't change who people are but who they can become.