Aspirations? Or expectations?
Aspirations are our wish to achieve things. Expectations are the belief that something will happen.
Aspirations involve what happens inside us. Arising from within, they require action on our part. I aspire to help others. I aspire to be a more understanding person. I aspire to enjoy the day whether the sun shines or the rain pours down.
Expectations often involve what happens outside us. I expect others to appreciate my help, my partner to agree with my dinner plans, the sun to shine while the rain holds off.
Aspirations show our higher goals. I aspire to be more patient, to spend more time with my children, to be a model of goodness, to meet my parent’s ideals for me.
Expectations are more ordinary. Because expectations often involve others, outcomes are unpredictable, which invariably translates to unhappiness
An aspiration is a wish that I act on, but an expectation can depend on others to perform or a situation to unfold as I want. Expectations often bind us to disappointment.
Aspirations enable us to soar.
Article originally appeared on a buddhist perspective (http://www.abuddhistperspective.org/).
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