Expectations. We all have them, for ourselves and for others. Mostly, they lead to frustration, disappointment, anger and miscommunication.
When you are thinking about starting a family (or you are just dreaming of it for some time in your future), these expectations can be painful.
You have expectations about what needs to be in place, how long it will take you to get pregnant, what pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood will look like for you.
At each point on this journey, there are numerous opportunities for not meeting these expectations, these high ideals that you have come to believe must be true.
What if you could flip this? What if you could shift your expectations so you are open and receiving instead of closed off and fighting?
Shifting expectations continues to come up in my life, so I know that it is a lesson I have not yet fully learned. As I have been hit on the head with this lesson a lot this week, I realized something – it’s not about my expectations of others but of myself.
As I have worked on shifting my expectations, this has meant accepting that I need support to make my dreams, passions, and desires flourish. I reached out for this support, invested in myself, and I can feel the shift.
It has taken some of the pressure off of me and helped me create space to put my focus to where it needs to be. I am able to focus on what flows naturally, while getting support with the pieces that feel more difficult and tend to cause a lot of frustration and stress. This is invaluable!
Are you ready? Release those expectations so you can flourish and grow.
Peace, Love, and Wellness,
This is so crazy hard, too. Not just with starting a family, but with being done having kids or with where we want to be in life. I constantly have to ground myself and get back to the present moment to keep from overwhelming myself with stress.
I had a favorite quote in high school that went something like this, “Hope but never expect.” I now believe that quote reflects scarcity thinking, though. A subsequent mentor has often challenged me with the following question when I say I don’t want to get my hopes up: “What good are low hopes? Why not have high hopes and dream big?”
I think there is a distinction between visualizing an outcome and expecting that it HAS to turn out in a specific way. Yes, go visualize and rehearse it happening in your mind and when asking the Universe, know that there are 3 answers to the request: Yes, you may have it. Yes, but not now. And No, that’s not for you because something even bigger and better is in store!
Thank you for a stimulating post!