There’s a saying that goes, “Expect nothing and appreciate everything,” and it’s so true. But sometimes, we live in such a whirlwind of demanding tasks, unfulfilling relationships, or even just the stresses of everyday life that we forget to simply enjoy what is happening. We might think about something too much before accepting it for what it is — they take no joy at the moment because those expectations never came true.
And therein lies the problem.
Because if we expect nothing and appreciate everything, we never know what we’ll receive or where our journey will take us. We’re ready to get into something or are willing to try something but need to see how it works for our lives before making any decisions about it.
This is similar to preparing for an event — choosing something nice to wear (or not), checking out the event’s hours and location, and considering the other options in that situation before committing time and money.
Of course, the whole trip might be a bust — it may turn out that everyone else will be wearing athletic wear, the event may take place in a location far from us, and our friends aren’t sure there will be anything to do afterward. In which case, we’ll know not to put that event on our list again. But if we don’t try it at all because of those few concerns, we’ll never know what we’re missing.
So why not try it? Why wait to find out how it works for us? We control how we respond to those situations because we can’t control more than a few things in our lives.
And that’s what I’ve found so valuable about experimenting with life. It’s easy to put off trying until you know the situation is perfect, but you need to look for the good and be open to the possibilities along the way.
So what do you expect to get out of your life, and are you prepared for what you’re going to find?
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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 The Lack of Gentle Platonic Touch in Men’s Lives is a Killer |
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