Expect Nothing In Life

My Struggle with the Concept

Have you ever gotten to a point in your life where you have lost so much in a short amount of time and feel as you can't lose more. Just as it seems there's no way your luck can get worse something happens that suddenly arises feelings that the universe is being unfavorable to you. I can't begin to tell you how much time and energy I have wasted wondering "why me?" and "what if?" or pre-planning every possibility during a meeting or activity or even excessively fantasizing about what my future will be like. Past and future worrying are weighing me down. For many years I allowed my painful past to hold me back and keep me in chains. Lately thinking about the future I expect positive results in the wrong contexts and negative results in the right contexts which creates a sense that I am disappointed in the outcome each time due to expecting. Often times, my predictions are entirely off from reality. All I did was waste away bits of my life to what IS NOT. We should be trying to focus all time, energy and creativity on WHAT IS right in front of us. To create, act and do as much as possible.

When you expect nothing at all in life's various contexts, events, or interactions then you will find that what really does occur is actually quite average to the list of possibilities and "what-ifs" you spent the day planning or imagining about. Meaning we have all wasted an unghastly amount of time and energy on stressing or over-worrying about what will happen next. When really we should be using the attention and creativity it takes to expect and live in the now by being attentive to the tasks at hand or the present moment. There are no problems right where you're at (most of the time). I am a general worry-wart. I overthink and overcriticize myself in life just as much if not more than the next one. I have come to learn that the more I think, imagine, and focus parts of myself on what is not REAL, the more I am disappointed by my expectations of what could have happened. I find expectations I have developed among family, friends, school, career, specific situations or general life has always been very different than what actually occurred. Therefore, I finally understood I was completely misusing my time living in my head ironically trying to have some control on the outcome of life. We must become present again and do what fulfills us. There is no time to waste.

A.I. Generated Image

Life's Bigger Picture

When you are centered on your goals, betterment, and passions, you have nothing to fear or worry about. It will happen with time and you must trust the entire process. Expect nothing and the universe (whatever you may believe) will guide you to the correct milestones you wish to reach. You are exactly where you need to be as you are right now. That is certain. Keep loving you and being yourself. You will only lift your mood and joy as well as those around you who will notice your light and new vitality.

How does one learn to expect nothing?

I had struggled with this for ages and made aware of this problem only very recently. Now that I have the knowledge of self-awareness of my thoughts and whether they are beneficial to me allows me the free will to notice when you do this and to actively work on it. Anything in life that is worthwhile will be difficult. If you know just how much of your life you have and will spend expecting throughout your life, this will be a huge mentality shift inside of you and will free you of past and future problems, lightening your load. Of course the answers and the journey are different for everyone. I hope to share some helpful insight.

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Take Away

Expecting no sort of outcome at all and knowing nothing is how we form something. Humans waste a great deal of their time, energy and imagination on wanting to know what is around the corner or how a project, setting, or interaction will take place. There simply is what is. There is no telling. We must realize we only have the strength to live fully in the now rather than trapped inside our minds. Only then will we release the heavy weight of the past and create an impact on the future.