"Expectations minus reality equals disappointment" - Dr. Randy Carlson

“Expectations minus reality equals disappointment” – Dr. Randy Carlson

If you have come to the realization that God is in charge of worry, and you are in charge of work, congratulations. You have made an authentic first step into living life on life’s terms, one day at a time. You learned yesterday that hardships in life are really just part of the journey. Much of human suffering can be traced back to expectations. Expectations for how things should be, how someone should treat us, how our children should act, how far in life we should be, how our finances, our health, or our relationships should look, and so on. Close your eyes for a moment and imagine the last time you were upset. You don’t have to have been really upset, boiling over, or red-zone angry. Just upset. Think of why you were upset. I am not a mind reader, but I have a pretty good idea of the source of your disappointment: you expected something to go a certain way and it did not. You expected to be treated a certain way and you were not.

Expectations can rob of the current moment. They can keep us from living life to its fullest. After all, life is happening right now. This is it. This is what you have got, sitting or standing wherever you are, reading this book. THIS IS IT. Are you daydreaming about how your plans will turn out? My bet is that you are. We are all guilty of this in some way. Are you planning excessively for your future, and think that you have things all sorted out? I am sure that on some level, you do. What if your plans do not turn out the way you expected? What if someone you expect to treat you with kindness and respect treats you otherwise? If things do not go as you had planned, will it ruin your day? Will you secretly harbor resentments, and stew about what could have been how you should have been treated, or about how life is not fair? These are questions which should not be taken lightly. What if, for a change, you did not expect anything? I am in no way saying that you should not live your life with hope, passion, and faith for better things to come, I am merely suggesting that you attempt to get into the practice of NOT EXPECTING ANY PARTICULAR OUTCOME. Surrender the RESULTS of your planning and hard work to God. Let him be the one who decides how things will turn out in your life. Expect that things will happen unexpectedly. Expect that you will find yourself in situations you never dreamed possible. Think of your biggest dream. Think of what it would feel like to live that dream. GOD IS DREAMING BIGGER. He knows what you need before you even need it, so stop worrying, stop expecting things to go your way, and accept life as it happens. Just for today. 

My book titled "Chopping Wood & Carrying Water: One Day at a Time" is available for free download on the following websites:

http://freedomthroughchange.com/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FIGADEE

If you enjoy the book, kindly leave me a review, or send me some personal feedback! Thank you for reading.