6 HELPFUL & IMPORTANT WAYS TO LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS

 This might seem like an odd or eyebrow raising topic to some of you but if you struggle with high expectation syndrome or in common terms 'perfectionism' like myself, you will be completely on board with wanting to discover the ways to lower your expectations. Don't get me wrong it is not terrible to have high expectation towards a particular goal but if it stands in the way of your happiness, or interferes with your mood when your projection doesn't pan out the way you wanted, then, perhaps you need to learn how to curb your enthusiasm. 

Lowering your expectations doesn't and shouldn't make you a pessimist. It shouldn't stop you from giving your all to your goals. It should just help you to learn to control your eagerness and give you the element of surprise when you finally experience an achievement. That being said, here are some ways with which you can practice the act of lowering your expectations.

1. PRACTICE SELF-LOVE - To me this is the first step to achieving this quest because having too high expectations of oneself can be as a result of having low self esteem or the need to be loved by everyone or the need to want to be in control of everything and when you don't achieve any of those feelings written above, you start to hurt yourself emotionally or think less of yourself. Lowering your expectations involves you doing things freely without laying emphasis on the outcome and that = confidence/self-love.

2. GIVE UP THE NEED TO BE PERFECT - You must understand that in life, no one is perfect, everyone falters at some point, allow yourself to make mistakes and be okay with it. Also, set realistic goals and acknowledge that you don't have to be the best at everything and it takes time to learn or achieve certain goals. For instance learning 'how to ride a bicycle'.

3. STOP CRITICIZING YOURSELF - Just like learning to quench the spirit of perfectionism, you should also learn to silence your inner critic. The mind is very powerful, it makes us over-challenge ourselves and lets us focus majorly on our negativities. But look around you or dig deeper, there's always a positive outcome in every situation. Just as advised in the iconic Bollywood flick 'Three Idiots', when you are afraid or in doubt or feeling blue, place your hands on your chest and say to yourself repeatedly "All Is Well". It works try it *wink*

4. STOP THE COMPARISON - "That guy is my age and he just got a car", "We started our YouTube channels at the same time and she's already making money on hers" whew-- just staaaaapppp. We are all unique in our abilities and capabilities. Stop basing your life's worth on other peoples' just try to embrace your individuality #selflove.

5. QUESTION YOUR EXPECTATION - Ask yourself if you have the high expectation syndrome because of your values, needs and wants or you are just trying to be a people pleaser. I understand that as a perfectionist, people might have placed you on a pedestal and you have to work extra hard in order to achieve people's expectation of you. Like I said in point 1, if it interferes with your mental health then you need to learn to curb it. Also, you need to do things for YOU, not so people will like you, that's the worst mistake any human can make.

6. ENJOY THE JOURNEY - Yes I personally struggle with this a lot, I find it difficult to 'enjoy the process'. They say life is a journey, not a destination. I start a project and I'm already looking forward to the end result. I normally base my self worth to the achievement of a project. But now, I'm learning to enjoy the highs and lows that comes with starting something new and I'm also learning to appreciate how far I have come and the comfort I am surrounded by.