Expectations assume a certain result and are future- based. They actually narrow your options, retard your imagination, and blind you to possibilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They create pressure in your life and hold your present sense of wellbeing hostage to a future that may or may not happen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expectations create rigidity in your life and cause you to react impulsively to any perceived threat to that future you believe you deserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you are controlled by your expectations, you are living a contingent life; you cannot be free in the present moment. You cannot be happy with a beautiful sunset or with a moment of warmth between you and another; instead, every experience is interpreted in the context of an expected future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In contrast to expectations, possibilities are based in the present moment, where you\u2019re alive to the mystery of life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You live as fully as you can in the present moment based on your values, which reflect your preferences for the future, but you do not assume that the future will come to pass, because you realize that the future is unknown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Being open to possibilities acknowledges that what you may think you want changes with time, or that there is another future that will bring you equal or more happiness, or that the future may turn bleak, or that you may die before any future can unfold. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Real joy, then, is that which is available to you right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your mind is open and inspired in this moment. You therefore have more access to imagination and intuition. Your mind is clear and less reactive, and you make better decisions. You respond rather than react to life as it unfolds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To truly be in the moment, to not be defined by expectation, requires mindful clarity; a heart conditioned by love, compassion, and empathetic joy for others; and equanimity that allows you to receive life however it unfolds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This may seem like an inconceivable challenge, but it can be your goal, your beacon through the fog of your life. Most important, it can inspire and orient you in how to live in the moment. You simply lay aside your expectations as best as you are able.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Possibilities\u2026 Expectations assume a certain result and are future- based. They actually narrow your options, retard your imagination, and blind you to possibilities. They create…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_customify_content_layout":"","_customify_sidebar":"","_customify_page_header_display":"","_customify_disable_header":"","_customify_disable_header_top":"","_customify_disable_header_main":"","_customify_disable_header_bottom":"","_customify_disable_page_title":"","_customify_disable_content_vertical_padding":"","_customify_disable_footer_top":"","_customify_disable_footer_main":"","_customify_disable_footer_bottom":"","_customify_breadcrumb_display":"","_customify_header_transparent_display":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-expectation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rizeldelano.com\/chronicles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rizeldelano.com\/chronicles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rizeldelano.com\/chronicles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rizeldelano.com\/chronicles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rizeldelano.com\/chronicles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2689"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rizeldelano.com\/chronicles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2689\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2690,"href":"https:\/\/rizeldelano.com\/chronicles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2689\/revisions\/2690"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rizeldelano.com\/chronicles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rizeldelano.com\/chronicles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rizeldelano.com\/chronicles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}