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Expectations are defined as strong beliefs that something will happen or be the case in the future. However, I do not believe this definition fully elaborates and explains the concept of expectations as a word in the English language or as an idea. Expectations can be a number of things. They can be what we expect from others, ourselves, or just about any event in everyday life. Often, people seem to use expectations as a lens to anticipate the future. If I were to be completely honest, I would have to admit that in almost every aspect of my life, I anticipate what will happen based on my expectations. These expectations (when overused, and in the wrong context) can be an obstacle in truly experiencing life as it comes to you.
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| Grayson Ford - Class of 2021 |
I am not claiming that having expectations is a bad thing. In fact, it can often be a useful tool for self improvement and accountability between people. For example, I personally have some set-in-stone expectations for myself as a person. I believe that these expectations are a positive thing. These expectations, because they are realistic, help me to continually try to better myself. However, these expectations should not be confused with goals. I believe personal expectations are a tool for self improvement and can often lead to accomplishments and the reaching of goals.
I believe that it is the overuse of expectations in trying to anticipate everyday life can be quite harmful. Having these expectations can be counterproductive as they often lead to anxiety or genuine stress. As someone who struggles with this, I can say that this can interfere with happiness as well. I often find myself worrying about a big test, results of an election, an imminent speech, or just about anything because of my negative expectations.
Coming into my freshman year at the University of Louisville, I had very negative expectations for myself. I figured that I would probably come in and barely get by, if I even passed at all. I thought that I would surely not make many new friends. I also thought that I would not last very long at the university. I felt that I was out of my element and failure was imminent. It is because I expected to fail that I worried so much about failing. This fear of failure became very present in my day to day life to the point where I just always expected the worst out of every situation. This pessimistic way of thinking dominated my life for the first few weeks of my college career. I genuinely expected to fail in everything I was attempting to do.
However, my first year of college, thus far, has truly exceeded my expectations. I would have never guessed that I would have already made the number of friends I have. I would have never anticipated that I would actually feel comfortable in my classes. I just truly never expected to be as happy as I have become here. There is a common theme here. I spent so much time of my first few weeks of college stressed and worried and it got me nowhere. If anything, my negative expectations only interfered with my happiness.
This has lead me to my current state of mind. That is that I, and people in general, spend way too much time expecting or worrying about the worst possible scenario or result. This way of thinking is harmful and impedes happiness. Robert J. Hastings claims “Life must be lived as we go along.” I believe that statement could not be more correct. Life is meant to have highs and lows that we will all encounter. However, what I have learned is that the lows cannot be changed by expecting or worrying about them, and the highs cannot be enjoyed for worrying about the lows.
Grayson Ford, of Cadiz, Ky., is a freshman McConnell Scholar studying political science and finance.