“There’s no freedom quite like the freedom of being constantly underestimated.”
― Scott Lynch
Wow, i find it difficult at times to live up to people’s expectations. It seems the more I show, the more that’s expected of me. It reminds me of why I spent so many years if not failing at things, not working hard to excel. It did give me an amazing amount of freedom. My parents and family were happy when I did show up rather than disappointed when I didn’t. I could do the work that I wanted and the studying that interested me rather than strive for a degree. Basically, when expected to fail, I was able to accomplish more than I ever dreamed possible.
Conversely when I exceeded people’s expectations they started expecting more and more. When friends had problems I listened and gave them advice. This resulted in them asking me for advice whenever they had a problem and becoming angry with me if I had something of my own going on. When I made it to every family event and made it a point to spend time with my family, the expectations for how often this would happen climbed…
The more you do the more you’re expected to do.
Not all of this pressure happens externally, we start to expect more from ourselves as well…in this day and age the expectation is that we will drive ourselves to the fullest amount of commitment we can handle.
More and more I am starting to believe that we really just need to relax a bit, do what our spirit moves us to do. If we disappoint others, if we disappoint that inner voice that keeps insisting on what we ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t’ do then that’s ok. In the long run we are answerable to our own hearts and that of the universe. I am not advocating abandoning all responsibility, if anything I am talking about being totally responsible to our own inner being and to the universe. Exhaustion and feeling like a failure does not equal responsibility at all.
Blessings, G
Click on image to see full-sized
Museum Peace by G A Rosenberg
Namaste G,
Be true to yourself. Go according to how your heart is feeling. We aren’t ‘living’ if we are constantly striving to ‘please’ others. If it feels comfortable or ‘right’ for us to be at family gatherings …then… we are supposed to be there. We all have to learn what is ‘self worth’ and to learn love ourselves first. If we can’t first love ourselves as who we are, then … we can’t love others. It goes hand in hand. We are not talking about being ‘selfish’ that we must come first all the time but it’s a necessity to attend to one’s own need first before we’re strong enough to attend to others. A form of balance is needed in everything that we do everyday.
The world isn’t just about us, alone as an individual. It’s about who we are from within first. We create the world outside of us from within. Our universe is within us. Our thoughts, our feelings, our dreams .. are all being created from inside of us – our hearts. From there, it will be manifested throughout, where each of our thoughts and dreams are being merged, mutated and manifested … through the world as we see it on the outside.
Therefore, it’s necessary that we tend to our individual dreams from within first, then we go out and celebrate it with our loved ones and friends. A lot of humans have been living ‘backward’ … trying to ‘show’ the world who they are .. .when they’ve not tended to themselves from within. That’s why ‘fame’ doesn’t last but honor does.
Tend to yourself first and when you’ve arrived to a point of time to celebrate, go out and celebrate with your loved ones and friends and give thanks.
Wishing you and yours, a beautiful week of love and abundance of joy and blessings.
Agnes
Thank you Agnes, many blessings to you and yours as well…
Surprise and shock , both are getting amazed ..and that is how we feel with our performance ..and remain dazed..unless you got in close vicinity..your family..they always know what you were up to but let you do it anyhow :))
Yes exactly and i have been fortunate enough to experience this as well…
yessssssssss
I have nominated you for the ,” Blog-of-the-Year-2012-Award -Five Stars/.
http://kalabalu.wordpress.com/2012/12/14/Blog-of-the-Year-2012-Award-Five-Stars/.
Thank you so much… i appreciate the nominations 🙂
you are welcome 🙂