Anticipation is sometimes better than the real thing

Have you noticed that the more we look forward to something, the more disappointed we can be once we're experiencing it?

For example, we spend the entire work week yearning for Friday to come. Once Friday evening arrives, the weekend goes by in a snap, and you hardly get to enjoy it because of all the things you have to do (kids, groceries, laundry, etc).

Here are some other examples:

Looking forward to eating at a specific restaurant but not liking the food, service, or ambiance once there
Looking forward to meeting a blind date and winding up disappointed
Longing to buy a product -- whether it's a car or cell phone -- and not enjoying it like you'd anticipated once it's in your possession
Dying to finish college so you can enter the real world, yet once you're in that real world, you wish you could go back to college
Having high hopes at a new job, only to be left disappointed once you realize the job isn't what you had in mind
Thinking someone you were dating was long-term material, but it didn't turn out to be the case

Hey, we've all been there. It's a simple case of expectations not meeting reality.

Even though it's good to be optimistic, we should guard against setting our expectations too high. Instead, we should aim for a middle ground -- where we're cognizant of the positive and negative implications every decision we make has. In other words, we need to stay grounded.

Do you agree with my examples? Are there any you would add?

Comments

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