Expectations, Disappointment, and the Merry-Go-Round

Over the years, I’ve noticed something in myself and in the people and organizations I work with. We cling to our expectations as if they were life preservers. We expect other people to behave a certain way. We expect our friends, teams, or families to stay the same. We expect our careers to follow a predictable, upward path. 

When reality doesn’t match those expectations, disappointment hits. And, rather than examining the expectations, we often double down on them. The result is a kind of emotional merry-go-round: the scenery keeps changing, but the experience stays the same. 

The hopeful part is that we are not just spectators in this process. 

We are, by God’s grace, co-authors of our stories. 

We can look honestly at our expectations and ask, “Are these expectations rooted in fear or in faith? In control or in trust? In ego or in genuine calling?” 

Small adjustments in our expectations can quietly reshape the future we’re walking into. Sometimes, burnout is less about doing too much and more about dragging a whole set of unexamined expectations behind us like a heavy suitcase.