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Benefits Of No Expectations For The New Year

No expectations means no exasperations.

Jared Frederick Maier

Jan 02, 2017

Eastern University

Benefits Of No Expectations For The New Year

screenrant.com

December 21, 2015: I left a movie theater with a feeling of disappointment. December 21, 2016: I left a movie theater with a feeling of satisfaction. The first movie I watched was "The Force Awakens" and the second film was "Rogue One." Both of them are well-done entries in the Star Wars franchise, and I should have felt good after seeing both of them, but I didn't.

There was a big difference between my previewing experience for each--my expectations. When the first trailers for "Force Awakens" came out, I watched and watched and watched them again. I tracked down international TV-spots, watched clips on YouTube, and extensively studied all of its movie posters. For "Rogue One" I only saw one trailer, because a friend of mine forced me to watch it. Other than that, I did nothing concerning "Rogue One." I ended up avoiding the movie so much, I almost did not watch it (special thanks to my brother for convincing me to see it).

The big difference between my previewing experience for "Force Awakens" was my overblown expectations. I convinced myself I knew so much about this movie that I determined where certain scenes from the trailer would happen, which scenes I knew I would like, and I practically crafted my own plot synopsis of it. Of course "Force Awakens" would have no way of living up to my expectations, and my disappointment was inevitable. Since I had no expectations for "Rogue One," I had a better time with that film, and I left the theater satisfied. For "Rogue One" I gave myself the freedom to be surprised. When you have expectations, any surprise whether good or bad, is jarring and unwanted. A bad surprise that does not meet expectations leads to disappointment and frustration, but a good surprise without any expectations leads to gladness and wonder.

That's how I am going to treat this new year--2017. I don't know what it will bring, I don't know what our country will be like, I don't know what our culture will inspire, and I certainly don't know what's going to happen in "Star Wars Episode VIII." I do know that I am not going to solely depend on trailers, articles full of predictions, or my own suspicions to mold my opinions and feelings of things. This year I am going to remove any unnecessary anticipation from my life and focus my energy on appreciation for the God-given gifts and surprises that come with every new day.

Happy New Year everyone!

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

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