You can’t base your life on other people’s expectations. – Stevie Wonder
In school, with my students this week, we’ve been talking about goals, and sometimes the goals we’ve set for ourselves have actually come from other people. Sometimes, that’s an okay thing. I had an expectation that my own children would graduate high school. Parents can have an expectation that their children will behave well. Expectations like that are okay. But as you grow, and mature, you have to learn to live your life based on YOUR exectations and not the expectations of others. When my children were doing their college searches, I had some strong expectations of where they should go. Guess what, neither one of them are at the schools I thought would be best for them. They made their choices and they are happy. I also had ideas about what they should major in, or not major in and again, they are doing their own thing.
It’s okay to listen to what other people have to say, and to give their suggestions some consideration. If what they are saying really resonates with you, that’s great, it may be something you want to consider, but if it doesn’t, keep thinking. Figure out what’s going to be best for you. The only expectations you need to live up to are your own.
