Expectations...

With Christmas looming over the horizon it brings to mind the area of expectations for me – what am I expecting from this season?  What are others expecting, i.e. the kids, family, friends?  How do we meet those expectations and what happens when we don’t?

The pursuit of happiness seems to be a constant drive for us all these days, but something about this struck me recently – why is happiness so important?  That feeling of not being content is a niggling feeling that can be so destructive, gnawing away at our fulfilment and drawing our attention away from the present – this moment.  In a recent coaching session with a client I was amazed by how much she’s changed during the time we’ve worked together – her circumstances may be the same but her enjoyment of each moment is immensely different.

Reading an article recently by Natasha McElhone, an actress who lost her husband and is now bringing up her three sons alone, I was inspired by her take on happiness and expectations -

“In the west we’re raised to believe we should be happy all the time.  And actually if you let go of that, you’ll be more happy, so much more of the time than you ever expected to be”

So what’s this season got in store for you?
Are your expectations realistic, and who determines that anyway?

My expectations are somewhat mixed this year – the first Christmas without my Dad who was my rock, 2nd Christmas with our adorable kids, lots of pressure to make people feel comfortable and get on (tis the season to be jolly!) and a great desire to really experience the true meaning of Christmas in a new way this year.