Don’t burden others with your expectations. Understanding their limitations can inspire compassion instead of disappointment.
Welcome to the 109th episode of Giving Back Insights! Insights are our solo show to celebrate how our guests and their charities serve others, explore actions each of can take to make a difference in people’s lives and connect.
Today we’re talking about the burden of expectations! Enjoy today’s episode and keep your comments and feedback coming.
Tweet ThisKey Takeaways:
Meeting with my brother Tom for our first breakfast of 2019, we talked about re-connecting and how to best move forward.
On the ride home from Lodi after I connected him and Mom on Christmas, she asked me“Did Tom tell you why he left?” He and I have never discussed that. I wanted to sort through my opinions and I thought about the best way I could serve her before I answered. This is what I told her:
Before he left, even before our father died, I thought that he felt:
Expectations and disappointment from himself
Expectations and disappointment expressed by others
Expectations and disappointment of others that he perceives
I sensed he needed to get away from the burden of those expectations and disappointments.
He looked at me and wrapped his arm around me at the counter in a big hug. When I asked him if I was close, he said I’d nailed it.
I told Tom something I shared with a friend recently:
When I let go of a thing, my hands are open to receive
When I let go of expectations, my head & my heart are open to receive
“How can I help?” is a well-meaning question that presumes that the other person needs anything. “How can I serve?” is a better question, IMO. Our job is not to save him. Our job is to love him. That’s all he and each of us really needs and wants. We’re family.
Remember that if any of us is going to offer anyone anything, then it’s fully from the heart when we give without attachment to an outcome. Sharing without expectations to the response. And let go of everything that’s holding you back, because then you’ll be open to all the gifts and opportunities the Universe has to share with YOU.
Remember: Always err on the side of love & kindness.
Love & Gratitude,
Rob
Facebook Live:
Backstage at the Giving Back PodcastEpisode 291 Giving Back Insights #109 "The burden of expectations"
Posted by Rob Lowe on Sunday, January 13, 2019
