Expectations are a contract with yourself to be miserable

Expectations are nothing but a contract with yourself to be miserable when things don’t go your way.‍

And things never completely go your way.

Imagine how we place expectations on other people.

How ludicrous that is when you break it down.

No human can satisfy all your needs or desires.

Nothing external will ever fully live up to your expectations.

The single most rewarding and challenging pursuit is to become 100% internally driven and responsible.

When you take complete ownership of our inner world, your response to the outer world comes within your control.

And in that case, you have the ultimate power to interpret it to your preference.

For example, when something doesn’t go your war, you figure out how to pivot to get what you want.

And when you get really good at zigging and zagging to life, you find OPPORTUNITY in every obstacle.

The obstacle is the way, as you’ve probably heard.

It’s so true.

The better you get at internally focusing on what you can control, the more joy you can squeeze out of your best and worst situations.

I kid you not... there was a certain kind of excitement in our house flooding.

There was a solace that came with it—well, now I know we need to move, and we will probably end up happier at our new place.

It is now easy to take comfort in the fact that it wasn’t meant to be.

When something gets in your way, if there is no way to fix it, then you move on. The more you adapt to live this way, the easier it gets, and eventually, you will find joy in your ability to EVOLVE through every hardship.

The Stoic Framework of Control is a foundational principle inside the Better Mind program. It has served me in the most challenging situations of my life. Beyond that, it has given me the tools to evolve and get better no matter what happens continually.

There is no more foundational principle for human flourishing and equanimity than this principle. Get access to it now over at BetterHuman.School.