Letting Go of Expectations

Something that has been very prevalent in my life recently, that continues to bubble and rise to the top of my attention time and time again, is the idea that we all set expectations in life. Sometimes, they can be huge—such as planning a surprise for someone and seeing the experience going exactly the way you plan it to a ‘T.’ Other times, they can be small—something as little as expecting your partner to wake up before you (because they usually do). Many of us live our lives step by step trying to predict what is to come or setting up a scenario in our head that we try to stick to (whether we realize it or not). It’s a natural defense mechanism. It’s our mind trying to prepare us for what is to come so we aren’t caught off guard. While it’s not always a bad thing, it can put us in a box rather than allowing us to fluidly go out and live. So, like with most things, this should be set into a balance in our lives. Because like I said, while expectations aren’t all bad, as someone with OCD, I’ve been finding that they are constantly getting in my way time and time again. When set off balance, living in and with expectations every single day can turn me into a ball of nerves.

In my personal experiences, I try to meditate and manifest regularly, and rather than letting go, releasing the intentions, and allowing whatever I need to come my way, I find myself expecting something specific and therefore, blocking what the universe may be sending to me. And this happens time and time again with so many little things that don’t even matter in the slightest. I find myself standing in my own way, stopping my process, and potentially preventing good things from coming. The more I get caught up in the regular stressors of my life and the more I lose sight of the big picture, the more this idea has presented itself to me. And today, I realized that I can’t look away anymore. My soul is crying out for me to meditate each evening with the idea to allow the universe to send what it wants to me and for me to be open to receive it. It’s a delicate process of being open, learning to block out the bad, and allowing the good to come through. And it all starts with dropping my expectations and trusting the universe.

Through my meditations, I have quickly learned that as someone with OCD, I have expectations for everything, which tends to set me up for disappointment every single day, as I want to stick to those expectations and get upset when things divvy off course. It sets me up, emotionally, for failure when things don’t go my way. And while I’ve consciously known this, in the sense of understanding the thought, for quite some time, somehow, today, I was able to officially process this emotionally and live in that feeling and then, voila! A revelation occurred. I could see the problem and then, in my mind’s eye, I could see how I could easily open myself up for the things I have been blocking out. Somehow, things shifted, and I just knew.

So, as I embrace this process, I have been dedicating 15 minutes each evening to a timed meditation with the intention to relax and heal, and I not only focus on releasing any and all stress I continue to hold within my body, but I also use this as a time to drop my defenses, drop the expectations I put out there, and embrace the fluidity of the universe. I ask my guidance to allow me to be open and fluid, and I’ve been waking up the following day a new me, someone who is ready to receive what the universe is sending my way. I’ve in no way solved any of my major issues, but I find myself acknowledging them and working with my quirks to improve the quality of my life, and it’s working, one small step at a time. I’ve found the value in letting go of expectations and learning to live. And if you’ve been suffering from holding onto too many expectations, I encourage you to heal and attempt to accomplish a more fluid lifestyle as well. You may be surprised how much happier it allows you to be.