By Maurice Johnson

- Happiness equals reality minus expectations- Yuval Harari

It’s been said throughout time that one should expect the unexpected. It’s also been said that we are often made paralyzed by the fear of the unknown. And as crazy and as ridiculous as it may sound when we do this very thing, we are in turn breaking ourselves down and making it worse for ourselves based on hard evidence of nothing. Thus killing ourselves very slowly in the process while we are calling what we are doing, living. In the 4 Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz one of the agreements is, “Don’t make assumptions”. When we make assumptions we are living in a world that has yet to be created. When we do this we in turn create the very world that we actually do not want to create and we pass this off as confirmation of our expectations. This my friends is a lie. A lie that we tell ourselves should we live in a way that violates our right to happiness.

As you may know or will learn soon after reading this, the more we live life as an adventure or as a collective series of events that string together by the fabric of time, the better off we will be at shaping it. If we were to live life not based on the emotional attachments to possible outcomes but by action and by being studious to the outcomes of the clear and present actions, we will then see how things can and will shape up for us. We will see how important the present moment is and from there we can shape the next moment and live in a relatively created reality by our choice. The future is created as the past is already built. We should strive to learn from the monuments that were previously created both literally and figuratively in order to built the next generation of the monuments to come. By monuments I mean actual buildings, cars, structures as well as businesses, processes, methods of creation, literary works and so much more. This even applies to family life and traditions within cultures. If there is one prior to, then there will more than likely be one after. However, each thing after will not and cannot be the same as the prior to it. With this understanding we should let go of the expectations of tomorrow. Now, while this may have a few caveats that go along with it, I will go as far as to say that one should release themselves of expectations in general and embrace the surprises offered by the unknown future.

The future is a prediction based on the plans of the present. While it may be pretty accurate it can be totally altered if one is not careful to follow the plans in the current moment. With this in mind, one would have to have a stronger focus to stick to the plan and not get derailed by thoughts of what may be or look at patterns of old and get caught up on them. When this is done the outcome is expectations of a certain reality. Reality becomes certainty. Certainty is absolute. Absolute is reality. Thus, beginning a cycle where one believes that this “so called” absolute is what is ordained to be. Now, this can be truth for those who believe in it and because I do my best to practice non-judgement I will not say this with judgement at all when I call it a lie. It is a lie to me because I put into practice the beginning quote: “Happiness equals reality minus expectations.” Learning to live this way puts things into perspective and allows a story of adventure to unfold in which one can serve as an observer while being neck deep in the experience. When this happens a person becomes a live student of living and is able to tap into the power of adaptation. The events that happen in the present are based upon the learned lessons from the past a.k.a the monuments and therefore the future doesn’t have to be certain but given flexibility within the building and the following of the plans. In other words, base your expectations on what you are able to do in the moment and be amazed at the outcome of holding true to the plan despite how it turns out. This is amongst other things, is where happiness is found. It is an internal experience that we are able to share outwardly due to the fact that with the practice of letting go of expectations, we are simply grateful to witness and experience freedom from a program of judgement within self.

When we take out expectations we live fuller lives. We live lives with gratitude. We live and love without fear of and acceptance of the potential pain of heartbreak and we become more resilient and we recover from it much stronger than before. Our eyes are open and we taste the and enjoy the happiness that we are supposed to have in our lives. Many books were written on the promise of happiness that we could have. However, that “could” is actually more of a “do”. When we look at life as the adventure that it is designed to be, we find the greatest treasures and the best lessons that traditional schooling could never provide us with. In that we will find that our happiness is our choice due to the subtraction of the expectation. Patience, curiosity, consistency, and resiliency is a recipe to which the spice of life is added to.   

-An elevated soul, is an excellent soul

Maurice Johnson