It seems like there are a lot things to worry about in life: school, friends, relationships, family, work, (and once, again school- or friends- depends on the person).
In fact however, it is your expectations of these things that is more than likely a great source of stress. One of today’s great thinkers and professional truthsayers recently said in a video posted on YouTube:
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“Having low or no expectations is one of the most powerful things that you can do, if you use is to your advantage.” – Jenna Marbles.
Now Jenna Marbles, top YouTuber and internet celebrity, makes it clear that expectations are not the same as goals or standards. Planning short- or long-term goals and having high standards are important. Expectations are different. Expectations are in essence what you expect the outcome to be. When something doesn’t reach your expectations, you experience disappointment. It can be something minor, like the new movie you went to wasn’t as good as you thought it would be, or it can be something major: college didn’t turn out to be the live-action version of Animal House. And you are left to sit back and ruminate in the idea that your life (at least at the moment) isn’t turning out the way you thought it would be.
Having low or no expectations often carries a negative stigma. It is often associated with failure, when in reality, it is high expectations can lead directly to experiencing the negative effects of failure. Rather, having low expectations can be one of the most liberating things you do in your life.
Set goals that you believe are achievable in your lifetime. Have high standards for yourself and the people you surround yourself with. But give no or very little thought to your expectation of the outcome. According to Jenna, this “allows you to live your life completely, without fear of failure.”
If you weigh the outcomes in your mind, bad and good, amazing and horrible, and can bring yourself to be okay with every possible result, then there is absolutely no reason to worry about it anymore. Just live life and experience it. If you find success: great! awesome! personal life-win for you! But if you fail miserably or the outcome is nothing you ever expected: oh well, that’s cool too I guess- on to the next thing!
You won’t find yourself disappointed by the outcomes in your life, even the people in your life, if you have no expectations of them. It’s then up to you to decide if you want to continue to grow and build relationships with them, or if you chose to move on. No need for hurt feelings, or general disappointment in the process. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
If you live your life on a concrete path, as Jenna says, you can easily miss all the opportunities to be a different and better you. Don’t miss those opportunities. Take off your blinders and try to keep an open mind to the people and the world around you. You’ll be surprised to find what great people and experiences lie just around the corner.
If you’re interested in hearing more from Jenna on this topic, check out her full video Why Low Expectations are Good. (Warning: some strong language)
