I thought that might get your attention. I have been working a lot on my resignation. Before you run and call somebody, keep reading. The word resignation is usually used in conjunction with employment, or for the impulsive, can mean unemployment. The word resignation actually has a broader meaning than just giving formal notification of quitting a job. It actually means compliance, submission and acceptance.
So much of the difficult and painful emotions I have experience are somehow tied to unmet expectations. I have expectations of myself and I have expectations of others. I don’t think having expectations is such a bad thing. The problem I’m beginning to discover is that I live with so many expectations of people, circumstances and situations of my life that are - unrealistic. The harsh reality is that so many of my life experiences rarely meet my expectations. It’s a perfect setup for a major letdown.
I expect that all things should go smooth. All new products should work. Traffic should move. I expect all people to be nice. I expect to be liked, listened to, and loved. I expect to be respected, revered, and at times, even coddled. People should anticipate my every need and above all, should never disappoint me.
I have no idea where all these unrealistic expectations come from? It seems that so much of my anger, frustration, and disappointments are somehow tied to unmet, unrealistic expectations.
What would life be like if we started each day by resigning?
I resign myself to the changes I don’t see coming. I resign myself to submitting to God’s agenda for my day. I resign myself to accepting the unforeseen and the unexpected. I resign myself that some things are going to go well today and others are not. I resign myself that others (including myself) are flawed, imperfect people and will, at times, disappoint me.
I am beginning to see that the pathway to peace is through resignation. Rather than holding my world hostage while shaking a list of demands in its face, I am trying something new; releasing my grip and resigning to the fact that this world (and the people in it) are imperfect and will never fully meet my every need – real or unrealistic. Accepting that things should go reasonably well today - but may not - allows margin for real life to unfold.
Recent Comments