Some thoughts about expectation management

Today I was thinking about how much our likes and dislikes depend on our own expectations of things, places, or people. I guess everybody has experienced something similar with this: that big Hollywood production you were waiting for is finally in the movies and you can't wait to see it! So, you call your friends and make sure you have tickets for the big premiere. Then, what a disappointment: the movie was terrible!!! Has this happened to you? Or else, perhaps the opposite, something like: your parents insist that you attend a party in the weekend and you end up going just to please them. But when you get there, what a surprise: nice people, good food, great music... what a nice night!

The kinds of situations mentioned above lead us to the conclusion that all depends on expectation. Then, wouldn't it be smart from us not to expect anything? I guess the answer to this one has to be 'yes'... , this could save a lot of relationships, and besides, people would probably live much happier without expectations !!! but then, we come to a rather difficult question: how can we manage our own expectations?

As nowadays I cannot separate anymore my thoughts about anything at all from my work thoughts, I imediately began to wonder how much expectations can influence our behavior when collaborating and sharing knowledge. I think it has a greater impact than we can estimate! At least intuitively, you will more gladly collaborate/share knowledge if you expect to get something in return. But I guess what we sometimes fail to see is that our main gains comes as a direct result of this collaborative attitude. It is impossible to grasp how much we learn only by sharing what we know with others. Many people recognize that teaching is the best way of learning. Through interaction with others, we are able to learn much more than simply the content of the collaboration, such as: how to speak clearly, how to listen carefully, what kinds of behaviors to take or avoid... the list is endless.

Well, guys, it's quite late and although I am still excited about my new blog, I should definetely get some sleep... Hope you weren't expeting more from me today. Have a great Sunday!