“Life is under no obligation to give you what you expect.”

The general viewpoint when it comes to giving advice on having high expectations in any situation in your life is that if you expect nothing in specific you will never be disappointed. And maybe that’s one of the best pieces of advice out there.

There’s a fine line between being hopeful and pinning all your hopes on something you would like to happen. It’s not about being cynical, it’s about guarding your heart against the disappointment and sadness that follows an outcome not being able to rise to meet up to the heights that you have set in your mind. And although pain is necessary, some could be avoided.

Life then becomes a lot easier when you accept that people weren’t put on this earth to live up to your expectations and neither are you here to live up to anyone else’s. And then that lowered expectation leaves room for the surprise and joy that could come from having something good happen.

The harder you hold on to your expectations, of life and of people, you will find that they are like delicate China. With the right amount of grip on them, you can feel the beauty of the object, but if you hold it too tightly it will break and cut you.