We Are Defined by Our Actions, Not Our Intentions
It has always been much simpler to create expectations than to meet them. Therefore, we tend to be more accustomed to odds that are up to chance rather than certainties. In the end, what happens is that you tend to forget that you are what you do and not what you say you’ll do. You are what your actions say about you, and your intentions are simply decoration.
Through your actions, you leave a kind of trail around you that can lead to others or reverberate in your near future. A reaction or an attitude towards a situation is capable of making all the difference. In other words, the good heart that you have needs to be in tune with your movements and your thoughts. What you say transmits to other people, but what you do makes an impact and can be felt.
The frustration of expectations
We love expectations and, to a certain extent, they seem to inspire us to achieve what we long for. They are created like impulses and fill with our dreams of continuing to grow or of making others happy. This way, expectations become the starting point of authenticity because they emerge from the deepest part within ourselves. But they are also born of fragility and frustration.
“Expectations are like fine china. The stronger you cling to them, the more likely it will be for them to break.”
– Brandon Sanderson-
Without even realizing it, many of the daily thoughts we have are expectations and illusions that feed off of promises. Not only promises from others, but also from your own personal hope in them. “He promised me that we would go out and celebrate and now we can’t.” “I’ll surely ace that interview. I have prepared a lot.” “She’s expecting that CD that I showed her for her birthday, but I forgot to buy it.” These could be everyday examples of what we’ve been talking about.