We all have expectations.
We expect our relationships to go one way and our careers to go another.
We expect our friends to treat us a certain way and our family to treat us another way.
All these expectations and more lead us down a path to one thing – pain.
Why do expectations almost always lead us to pain?
Because our expectations are rarely met, or if they are met, they are met not in the way we desire.
Another reason why expectations lead to pain is that they take our out of the moment, out of the now.
To be truly present at any given moment is to be beyond expectations.
Expectations exist in the future. Reality exists in the now.
When we are present with our friends, there is no judgment.
When we are present with any given task, there is no right or wrong.
In the present moment, there is only what is in front of us.
Our fears often take us out of the given moment, as do our hopes.
Our mind is rarely, if ever present.
Our bodies always are present.
To pay attention to our bodies is to be more present than paying attention to our minds.
To get out of the trap of expectations, perhaps we just need to be a little present to the moment.
In the present moment, everything is perfect.
~ Sam Liebowitz, The Conscious Consultant
