Be realistic in your expectations. Hoping for more than is probably going to happen causes a physical and psychological reaction greater than just disappointment. Today try to assess your expectations in life. Are they realistic? Are you far too often disappointed in most outcomes?
I’ve always thought, better to be nicely surprised than sadly disappointed.
The SCIENCE:
“Unmet expectations are one of the important experiences to avoid, as these generate the stronger threat response. Great leaders carefully manage expectations to avoid not meeting them. When Barack Obama was sworn in as the new US president in 2009, he took care to ensure people reduced their expectations both of him and the years ahead.
Consciously altering what you expect can have a surprising impact. Imagine you are trying to get an upgrade for a long international flight. If you keep your expectations low, you will either be okay if you don’t get the reward, or thrilled if you do. Whereas if you allow yourself to get excited about the possible upgrade, you will either have a terrible flight if you don’t get the upgrade, or only be quietly happy, though not thrilled, if you do get it. When you step back and look at all the possible outcomes this way, it makes sense to minimize one’s expectations of positive rewards in most situations. Keeping an even keel about potential wins pays off.” – David Rock
More here: http://www.happyfromwithin.com/uncategorized/not-so-great-expectations/