“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
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Museum Peace by G A Rosenberg
