Expectation: The Mother of All Frustration
Anger, frustration, disappointment — we’ve all felt them. And that’s okay. These emotions are part of being human. But have you ever stopped to ask: What exactly am I frustrated with? If you go deeper — really deeper — you’ll find that more than the situations or people, it is your own expectations that let you down. We aren't truly frustrated by the traffic, the delay, the silence of a friend, or the job that didn’t go our way. We're frustrated by what we believed should have happened. Take something as simple as traffic. It happens daily. It’s predictable. Yet when we’re stuck in it, we fume. Why? Because in our minds, “This shouldn’t be happening to me today.” That one word — "should" — becomes the trigger. Let me illustrate: Suppose I suggest a book on relationships and say, “Give it a try. It may or may not help.” You read it, and it doesn’t help. You shrug and move on. Now imagine I say, “This book always works. It will change ev...