Managing expectations, but whose expectations?

You are your own worst critic. You pick, you prod, you tell yourself you could be better/have done better. You find flaws where there probably are none. We build mountains where there are none, placing them infront of ourself. Sometimes we turn this same lense we look at ourself with towards others. We subject them to the same expectations. But why?

What if we realized that we have this day, and we do the best that we have with that day. What if we took into consideration that there are internal battles that we all have. What if we are more gentle with each other. What if we met each day new, with the knowledge that yesterday is gone, that we can only work on today, and acknowledge that what ever comes of that day was meant to be. What if we were as tender with ourselves as adults, and each other, as we would be with a child? What if we accepted and allowed us to be broken, a failure, with bruises, cuts, scrapes, and internal termoil? What if we helped to move each others mountains?

Managing expectations is something that I know is hard for myself. I try not to beat myself up for failures, trips, scrapes, and interal turmoil. I try to laugh it off. I am human- life hurts. But, I do try to learn, ask for that rough feedback, and reflect on my experiences- stive for better. I try to allow the same for others. To allow failure, and accept failure from others. To let them have their experience, and to allow so with limited judgement. I try to see what I may be putting on them from my own lense that I put on myself. I try to see where I have placed mountains.

In the end there is always one thing to remember... "We are all just walking each other home"- Ram Das.

Let us all do so with grace, for one another and for ourselves.