When things turn out to be different than you assumed, there is a high probability that you had expectations about that situation. You might have hopped for a specific result or for the situation to be like you imagined it and you found out that it didn’t happen.

Most of us have expectations and assumptions and it’s great to have them. They are a way to prepare oneself for an event. Having expectations allows to evaluate a situation and decide if the situation we are in is of service or not.

Without expectations, it is difficult to make the most of the situation. It takes people all the time to figure out how the situation can serve them. It’s a situation I often experience in training when participants join without specific goals. Their idea being that it will be sufficient to enjoy whatever is coming up. What they actually are doing is avoiding to be disturbed or disappointed.

And that’s the crux with expectations, it’s dealing with them, when they are not met. It’s finding a way to transform the situation one is in, into the situation one wants to be in. And it’s knowing when this isn’t possible.