Have you ever stopped to wonder the real difference between two competitors? While both of them may be equally talented, prepared, or confident, sometimes what gives them that dash of push is how much is really expected out of them, and that is a double-edged blade polished with charm.
When I was in school, I usually saw a lot of people being upset about how much people expect out of them and how they can never fulfill them, but then, it really stabbed me how I lacked the ability to be upset about those things. Opting for higher studies and really going a little further in life, I realized that the world is actually filled with people like that who are “burdened” by the expectations people hold for them but, if you asked me, I would love if someone really expected out of me because doesn’t that give you a sense of validation- At least I am cut out for this.
At other times, I really started to realize that, yes, expectations can, however, be quite burdening. Don’t they just pressurize you to achieve something and desperately avoid failure to at least save yourself from embarrassment? Hence, I concluded that it is the disgustingly poisoned double-sided coin.
And that’s when I began to understand — expectations don’t just lift or crush you; they define how you see yourself. On one side, it builds pressure. Immense pressure. a pressure that actually breaks momentum rather than building it. If taken too seriously, it can feel suffocating and restless. On the other hand, it builds a feeling of being left out. A feeling of “was I really cut out for it” because it takes away the external validation. It sometimes asks me to quit without really trying. It gives a sense of isolation and a crumbling feeling of not being seen, of being left out.
I believe that in this world of rat race, where everything is already so complicated, we shouldn’t be worried about other things like our preparation, our confidence, the feeling of anxiety, while we are so consistently focused on the burden of expectations. I realized that after all those overwhelming feelings, I hated how I was measuring the amount of expectations anyone had from me. What I really learned down the line is that no one really thinks too hard or gets “disappointed” when they expect out of you until they have put money on you, and that is the harsh truth. We are not as magnified as we think we are. Hence, expectations or no expectations, they become the most irrelevant thing. Things that should be replaced. The real truth comes down to those who are still seeking external validation are the ones really looking out for others’ expectations.
But have you ever really stopped to wonder how your life could be if you weren’t weighed down by the embarrassment of failure or haunted by the external validation of not being enough? Isn’t it enough to have believed in yourself and faced yourself head-on? The real victory shows up when you stop flipping the coin and start forging your own blade.