Have you ever been told to “treat others the same way you want them to treat you?”
With this in mind, do you also believe that the way you treat others will be the way you are treated in return? How about your communication via text? Do you send a message and expect an automatic response? How about a planned vacation and each day just doesn’t turn out the way you thought it would?
I have recently been reminded that there is still much work for me to do in managing my attachment to my results as my recent vacation had been bombarded with text messages, emails, and phone calls around a transaction I thought was settled before I left. Each time I responded with frustration at being interrupted or not having an expectation met, I stopped and regrouped.
My negative feelings were entirely created by my expectations and had nothing to do with the intention of those reaching out to me.
I took a good look at what I could control and what the benefits of these interruptions were and let my frustration release.
When you respond to your expectations that do not materialize in a manner you want and allow that to affect your life you prevent yourself from enjoying your experiences altogether.
“I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.” ~Bruce Lee
Unattachment is learning to no longer force the result you are looking for and then feeling badly when things don’t work out. In this practice, your goal is not to lower your expectations, it is to manage your reality.
This is a practice of acceptance.
- Accept people for who they are, not who you want them to be
- Accept that negative emotions exist in your life for a moment, then get curious and let them go
- Accept you for who you are. “You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” – Buddha
“Give without expectation, accept without reservation, and love with hesitation.” –Nishan Panwar
Start building up your happiness and confidence on something you do have power to control. Be aware of your responses, be curious about your thoughts and beliefs, then make conscious choices that allow you to release expectations and respond to the reality of what you can do. Stay in the moment rather than your version of the moment.
“Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be.” – Wayne Dyer
This is a practice of conscious choice. Take control, accept responsibility, and be aware that your perspective, response, and results belong to you alone. You know it’s time for even more.
If not now, when?
You don’t have to go there alone.
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