Expectations, Not All is well !!!

I think you are expecting this blog to be something about “3 idiots”, but naah, its not about the movie as I haven't watched the movie yet. Will be watching that and probably blog about it too.
Everyone has expectations, be it human or animals. Some animals may expect their prey to be an easy catch with full of meat while humans have no boundaries for setting expectations, be it personal or professional.
Parents &kids, husbands&wives, brothers & sisters, name the relation, either one or more parties constituting that relation set some expectations. I see the word EXPECT as Ex-Pact(my imaginations are weird :) ), that is something not included in the deal/promise. What makes us expect and how do we define what expectations level to be set in each situation? In every individual, lies the calculator which implements a complex algorithm which takes inputs like past experiences, possibilities of an event, benefits in case of the event occurs etc etc. This algorithm also gives output when there is no input, so let us not go into its details.

In personal life, we expect something from friends and family knowingly or unknowingly, often leading to either strengthening or weakening of bonds. A husband may expect his wife to prepare good food, keep the house clean, take care of family and list is countless. A wife may in turn expect her hubbi to listen and do exactly what she tells him, take decision based on her interests n so on. Expectations creep in because of comparisons also. A wife may expect her husband to take her shopping every weekend just the way her neighbour does. Even if unsaid, either parties expect things to be done based on their wishes. If their wishes are met, it’s a happy happy ending, else hot & cold wars follow.

In professional life one has infinite expectations, may be meeting deadlines, getting promotions, and what not. If some work is done well, others expect the same thing or even better from you the next time. When this expectation is met, higher benchmarks are set. This process never ends. But humans do have limits. Some individuals who are aware of this expectations game sometimes always tend to underperform so as not to get into this game and destroying themselves at the end. Some are smart players who know how to manage expectations of others at every stage of the game. This requires experience and luck.

Expectations also lead to getting best out of people. When a person is made to believe that there is a reward if a task is done well, he/she will pour in extra efforts to execute the task. If the reward is good, one can expect the same efforts again only if there is a better or similar reward next time.

At professional and personal level, I would suggest it is best to be yourself and give every relation or task your best without hoping or expecting anything in return. Also make sure others don’t have false expectations from you. This is a tough thing to do, but results will always be fruitful.

Happy expectation setting!!!!!