Is It Necessary To Fulfil Everyone's Expectations?
None of us can deny that life is full of expectations. Not only do we expect a lot of things from other people, but similarly a lot of things are expected from us as well. Sometimes living up to expectations gets extremely difficult and this is what causes as well as others around us displeasure. While some of these are momentary, there are instances when they can completely ruin the course of the relationship. From an extremely neutral point of view, neither is it necessary to always fulfil people's expectations. At the same time, it is also not possible to live up to those expectations.
Why You Should Not Always Live Up To People's Expectations
You might wonder what the harm is if we try to please people always and live by their expectations. After all, we will be making some people happy. Some of the major reasons why you should always let go of the expectations of others are:
Loss of Authenticity
If you keep living your life trying to fulfil what others want from you, it leads to a loss of authenticity. You do not stay true to what you want and how you are as a person. You adopt behaviours and goals that are not aligned with your genuine desires and personality.
Burnout
Always running around and fulfilling people's expectations will eventually lead to burnout. You will feel that you are emotionally as well as physically exhausted and do not have the bandwidth to entertain people anymore. Even genuine expectations will seem to be a burden.
Neglecting Personal Happiness
A common reason why you should always choose to not validate other people's expectations and wants is because it will require you to neglect your happiness. If you keep on prioritising others, there will be no one to take care of you. This will lead to a dull and mundane life.
The basic thing that all of us need to learn to have a healthy and fruitful life is how to live without expectations. We must consider and respect people's expectations especially if they are our loved ones or even employers. However, it is extremely important to understand which one is realistic and which one is not required. Self-awareness and self-care are extremely important and if fulfilling someone's expectations requires you to compromise on that, then you need to rethink.
