Having Zero Expectations

Hey there, my dear readers. How is everything going on your side? All’s good by me, perhaps that is why I have decided to become a tad philosophical, and that is by choice and let’s say also defined by circumstances.

As you must have already guessed from the headline, we are here to discuss having zero expectations today. Truth be told, this practice even though not alien to me, was validated by a blogger friend of mine recently. He is quite well known in his field, and in his day-to-day responsibilities has to interact with a lot of clients, while some of them want to work with him, there are others who need a lot of coaxing, and these are the ones who do not convert to sales mostly. 

Quite startled, I asked if he finds the entire process exhausting, he conceded that he does, but that does not mean he must stop trying. Our religious scriptures in Hinduism have also narrated such concepts, they said that a person must go on working, do what is expected out of him, and at the same time not expect anything in return. 

Doesn’t that sound a bit stoic? You bet, but what it does, in the end, is that it builds up your mindset and you get to act with authority. Now, coming back to that blogger friend of mine, he advised me to reach out to as many clients as possible - the more the merrier, according to him. 

I was scared and asked him questions like what if they refuse, he said that the worst they can do is say no, but that way at least I will know that I have tried my level best. He even asked me to apply to various places, burn the midnight oil, and do whatever it takes, but at the same time have zero expectations. 

He added that having zero expectations lets you stay calm amid chaos, you do not get disheartened when the clients refuse to work with you, and neither do you get overjoyed when they express their desire to work with you. I was still processing all that he said, and thinking about how I could implement that in my life when he again emphasised the fact that the journey is far more important than the destination. 

I said that the journey is full of rugged topography, pebbles and granites everywhere, so much so that it hurts to walk. He smiled and said that this is where the beauty lies, as it is pain and pain alone that will shape us, and when we will have crossed these hurdles of thorns, bushes and pebbles, we will see that it was the path which we covered, all by ourselves, and didn’t need anyone else, we alone were enough. 

Then, we will cherish our tough times, and laugh out loud as we make it. Finally, his statements reminded me of a phrase, “Good times create weak people, weak people create tough times, and tough times create strong people!”

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