"Keeping Expectations Clarified"

What makes relationships so difficult? We assume they won't be. That's the problem from the beginning. We expect relationships to be easy, and they just aren't. They require work. One thing you can always know - anytime there is trouble in a relationship, it always revolves around expectations. Someone is expecting something of the someone else, and they aren't delivering. So, here are a few sugggestions.

Whenever possible, clarify expectations from the beginning. We try to do that with marriage vows, don't we. Now, most of us tend to over state things. We probably think we really mean them, but we don't really know what we're talking about. Still, you get the idea. We try to clarify expectations from the beginning of the marriage. We need to do that in other relationships as well. On the job with customers and colleagues, we need to let people know what we expect. Expectations are more than mere job descriptions. Expectations involve not only what we want people to do in a job but how we want people to do them. It's generally in the how that disappointment comes.

After we've established expectations, we need to keep them clarified. On a regular basis, we need to discuss how we are doing. The longer you're together whether in marriage or on the job the more important it becomes. It's so easy to take each other for granted. Our expectations begin to expand. It happens gradually. And then all of a sudden we become so disappointed. We're upset about what didn't happen that should have. What we don't realize is that most of the time the other person doesn't even know they are supposed to be doing it. I am thinking the best of them for you. Take the time to renew your vows with the important relationships in your life. Talk about it. Review things.

Expectations need to stay clarified. It's not natural. You have to make it happen, as usual, on purpose! Good luck.