“Friends don’t lie.”

A tip of the that to Stranger Things for those who watch. It got me thinking:

The reason we are let down by people is because they simply don’t meet our expectations of how they should react.

For instance, if I publish a blog post that I am really proud of but no one reads it, that can be disappointing. After all, I worked so hard to offer this gift. Yet, if no one reads it, it doesn’t change the quality of the art.

It turns out that when we get rid of the expectations of others we don’t need to be disappointed when no one shows or surprised when they do. We don’t have to let our mood be affected by those around us. We can just be instead.