Are you in constant disappointment by what others do or don’t do? Well it’s possible to experience true happiness once you live life with an attitude of no expectations of others.

The more people let you down, the more untrusting you become. Family and friends do not deliver as they promise or live up to what you believe they should. Having these experiences over and over again causes you to feel unhappy and dissatisfied. You become cynical and cautious with everyone in your life.

When you have expectations of others, you set yourself up for failure. Even if you believe they should do things a certain way, it’s best to let go of the expectations altogether. People will never do what they promise every single time and you should not expect them to.

“The root of suffering is attachment” — The Buddha

Expectations of others makes you vulnerable especially if you are an empathetic person. Being an empath allows you to experience what others are feeling on a deeper level. Whether it’s anxiety or depression, you’re right there experiencing it with the sufferers first-hand, without any control over it. This can be draining both emotionally and psychologically.

It is natural for an empath to get emotionally attached to a situation. But it is also risky. It doesn’t make sense to get upset over something you can’t control. Being consumed and upset about someone else’s circumstances only distracts you from focusing on your goals, your objectives and most importantly your happiness.

“Keep your expectations high on achievement and low on people.” — Unknown

If you don’t wish to be disappointed, have no expectations of others. Take life as it is and only focus on the things and the one person you can control. Here are some tips on how to live a fulfilled life by kicking expectations of others to the curve.

Don’t expect people to be nice to you, be nice to yourself

You have no control over the actions of others. So why let other people’s actions affect you? High self-compassion equals more happiness. So love yourself more and worry about what others think of you less.

Live in the Present

You are always consumed with what will happen next. Having expectations forces you to always look ahead and keep you trapped in the future. It’s important to simplify things and focus on what is happening in the present because that’s all that truly matters.

Don’t Compare Yourself to Others

You expect more from yourself when you compare yourself to others. And this creates unnecessary pressure. Learn and understand what makes you happy and direct your attention and efforts on that.

Accept People as They Are

Acceptance is the ability to see that others have a right to be their own unique persons with their own flaws. Sometimes things happen in people’s life which distracts people from fulfilling the commitment they made to you. You must avoid judgement and work on acceptance. How people are supposed to be will always keep you dispirited.