Expectations

By Christina Lacey
For many of these posts I use my own experiences. I, like many others, create expectations that can be unrealistic. I am then disappointed. Why do we do this to ourselves? Our children have expectations of how things could be, having a great action packed summer, only to find mom and/or dad have to work and they are stuck at home or with a sitter. We expect a trip to be so wonderful but it rains, there are delays getting there. Why do we do this to ourselves?

Is our expectation based on perception or our perception based on our expectations?  Perception, according to thefreedictionary.com, is "the representation of what is perceived; basic component in the formation of a concept. percept, perceptual experience. internal representation, mental representation, representation - a presentation to the mind in the form of an idea or image".  What? Is this saying that we create an image in our mind that we internalize as the truth? 

 So should we create our expectation of an upcoming event with less excitement or anticipation so we are not disappointed? How much control do we have of the outcome? I would say we do have some control. If we percieve something as positive, we enter into it in a more positive state. Which in turn opens up the experience to be better than we could have had. 

We cannot expect something out of others that they cannot give and then be disappointed. 

Huh. Something to consider.
As a Marriage and Family Therapist, I see individuals and couples mostly. I enjoy working with my clients and learning about them and how they can be better as an individual and also to others around them.

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