{31 Days} Expectation vs. Reality

Have you seen the memes out there about expectation vs.
reality?  You go to a restaurant and
order one thing, but then you get served a meal that is looking far less
appealing than the picture on the menu. 
It always makes me laugh when I see those types of pictures out on the
internet.
It got me thinking though, how often am I trying to have my
expectation play out exactly, but it is not realistic?

When I started this {31 Days} series, I expected that I
would finish it.  Oh, yes, of course I am
writing about being overwhelmed, and the fact that I did not prepare posts
ahead of time to complete this series; it would all be a day by day written
journal, very old school blogger style.
Yet, here we are on Day 24 and I haven’t posted since Day 12…
I think that often as bloggers we get into the habit of
giving advice, but forget to give the story behind that advice.  While I would love to share with you ways
that you can successfully overcome overwhelming feelings, that isn’t
necessarily what you will get from me.  Instead
I am trying to share with you what I am going through, and perhaps you can find
some encouragement in the fact that I do not have it all figured out.

While it would be easy to throw in the towel at this point, and in
fact it may seem to some that I have, I decided that this is such an
important topic that I want to keep trying.

Why is it that our expectations can differ so much from
reality?  What are we using as a
measure?  

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28 Comments

  1. The expectation vs reality meme was created from 500 days of Summer. Great movie but one of the most real depictions of what humans go through whats in our head doesnt translate into real life at all sometimes.

  2. Burnout is so hard. It's so easy to say yes, set challenges for ourselves, etc. (I say this because I am oh, so guilty of it.) We have to take time to step back, though, even if that means saying no to things occasionally. I'm learning this along with you, so I'll try if you do!

  3. I always go above and beyond. It is a both a blessing and a curse. It usually means I over book myself and get extremely stressed. but I like to make sure I at least follow through with what I am supposed to do.

  4. I enjoyed reading this such a good information. I always want to give my best for work but It's so hard to complete my task on time especially I have 2 toddlers while working at home

  5. I generally don't expect anything from anyone or anything anymore. I used to be such a dreamer and such but it got to be too disappointing I think my expectations vs reality are pretty close now! – jEANINE

  6. I hate expecting especially when it comes to other people. It's okay to expect something from myself because it won't be that disappointing if I don't meet my expectations. It can be overwhelming too! I'm glad you decided to keep going.

  7. Perception is reality, right? We always want the best, whether that's the best food, income, home, etc. I think that's what makes us so unique and ambitious we just have to find a happy medium

  8. Putting unnecessary pressure on ourselves can definitely lead to overwhelm and even keep us from making progress on what we are working on, but at least you are aware of it and that is the first step.

  9. This happens to me all the time. I know why though… I fail to plan properly. It is through the planning process that I learn I have bitten off more than I can chew. I learn to step back and take notice and then I can properly manage what I want to do.

  10. Expectations are better to be thought of as goals, not realistic occurances! I think it helps to stay positive and remember you are always reaching for betterment; no one is perfect!

  11. This makes me think of 500 Days of Summer. The problem is with expectations is that we place them too high and the problem with reality is it can make us want to give up. Never give up and just keep trying.

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