Day (499) – Reinvent Yourself

 

“Expectations are the root of all heartache.” – William Shakespeare

This quote has been sitting on my desk for the past few months. I have stared at it over and over again trying to truly figure out what Shakespeare was intending when he said it. I will obviously never get that answer directly from his mouth, however, I have come to my own conclusion about what it means.

Expectations get in the way of gratitude. Gratitude for “what is.”

To be in the moment and appreciate of that moment is one of the most important things there is. We can get very caught up in living in the past or in the future, two places where we can actually never go. However, if we truly give thanks for what is going on in our lives right now, then the world is at our fingertips. We appreciate the gifts we have been given, the people around us, and are truly able to put our hearts into our passions.

But let me get real with you for a minute. If you expect anything out of people, situations, and events…you are going to end up with your heart-broken. Nothing will ever be good enough for you. You will constantly be disappointed that things didn’t turn out the way you wanted them to. I’ve been there. Lose your expectations. Get rid of them. Start enjoying life. Enjoy life for its unpredictable beauty. Stop thinking you have some sort of control over it all. You don’t. It is pretty much out of your hands.

What can you do? Give it your all. Everything you have inside of you and put it toward something positive. You will truly never know the results of your actions until they arrive. Sometimes you end up in a place completely different from you ever thought you were going  to be. But that’s the point. Life is deliciously ambiguous.

- Evan Sanders