50 People Reveal The Harsh Truths That Were The Adult Version Of Being Told Santa Isn’t Real

The expectations that we have for life can massively affect us. For instance, someone who’s naive and happy-go-lucky might think that everything will fall into place and things will just work out somehow. When they fail at something or realize that the world doesn’t work the way they imagined it should, they might have their entire perspective shattered. They’ll have trouble coming to terms with this new reality and might feel frustrated at themselves for having been so wrong.

On the flip side, someone who’s overly pessimistic or cynical might lose out on genuinely good opportunities because they don’t think much of anything is worth the effort. For them, a lack of justice and fairness is the status quo. But this makes them blind to the positive aspects of life, as well as the ability to fight for change that matters, whether at work or in society as a whole.

So, managing your expectations becomes key to managing your disappointments. You don’t want to hype yourself up, nor do you want to dismiss any positivity either. Through experience, we gain wisdom and slowly start to get a better grasp of how everything works. The main point here is that we accept this reality, instead of wishing that things were a drastically different way. 

It’s one thing to strive for positive change on a local or even global level. It’s another thing entirely to wish for things to be different without taking any action. In the former case, you’re doing what you can to improve your situation and that of others. It might be hard. You might have to adapt your approach and deal with unexpected roadblocks, but you are putting in the effort to create something better.

In the latter case, however, you might feel frustrated and disempowered because there is such a huge gap between reality and your idealized vision of what the world should be like. ‘Perfect’ social justice or completely fair workplaces might not be possible… but things can be better and fairer. The key here is to change what you can, even if the end result won’t be as good as you’d like it to be.

‘Psych Central’ suggests that people learn to let go of the negative emotions they feel after their expectations aren’t met. “Letting go doesn’t mean that you should ignore your emotions. Instead, it means you should acknowledge your feelings and let go as you work to overcome what happened.”

It also helps to shift your perspective and look at the bigger picture. You might have been thoroughly disappointed by something that’s happened to you, but there are plenty of other things to be grateful for. Things might be tough at work, but you might still be able to afford a roof over your head, be incredibly healthy, or have a very strong and supportive social circle. Bearing the worst that life throws at you becomes bearable when you take the time to appreciate all the good things that have happened to you.