Comments on: A Lesson in Expectations

By: PrincessJenn

PrincessJenn — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 17:05:16 +0000

I love reading your letters. I hope you print them out and bind them into a little book because they really are so spot on life lessons

By: amotherworld

amotherworld — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:38:13 +0000

Nicely written

By: Sarah Carmichael

Sarah Carmichael — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:13:37 +0000

You are so right. Expectations are so involved and multi-layered, this lesson might call for a Part Deux – expectations of yourself.

By: Christine LaRocque

Christine LaRocque — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:24:16 +0000

I’ve learned that sometimes the expectations that are the most crippling and hard to meet are those we place on ourselves. Sometimes they are true, that is things that we strive to do for the right reasons, but mostly I think they are expecations we have of ourselves based on a perception of the needs of others. In other words, trying to please others because we think that’s what they expect, but in reality it’s more what we expect of ourselves. I’ve lived my whole life trying to meet the “perceived” expectations of others (mostly my father) and as I get older I realize just how crippling that has been. The clincher, I don’t suppose in the end, that those things mattered as much as I thought they did to him. Now that I’m a mom I realize he probably just wanted me to be happy.