Not Having Expectations Is a Trap
Are you disappointed when people don’t act the way you want them to? Or are you scared that you’ll fail at this particular thing that’s super important to you?
While this seems like sensible advice there is a trap here that few people address. In fact, I would like to challenge the belief that not having expectations is the way to go.
Some people say that expectations create fear. Meaning that when you have expectations you are anxious that they won’t be fulfilled. But is that really how it goes?
In the most direct way not having expectations means not expecting any specific outcome in a situation. But what it really means is to not be attached to any outcome.
Although you can practice non-attachment, true non-attachment is a side-effect of waking up to your true nature. After seeing what you are not, the emotional tendrils that color and influence your whole experience, start retreating/dissolving/disappearing.
You’ll realize that freedom of expectation comes with having no strong emotions about the situation. If strong emotions are present, you equally do not hold on to them. It’s the clinging, grasping, and resisting that disappears.
