#Expectation

Expectation is the act of arriving empty-handed yet demanding a polite smile. It is an intangible investment that chips away at self-esteem each time the anticipated outcome fails to materialize. It sneaks into the cracks of social contracts, toy blurring with people’s feelings, the embodiment of uncertainty that shakes the fulcrum of the heart. There is no sharper irony than being led by expectations only to be whipsawed by reality.

It’s the curious phenomenon where people rise or fall by the expectations imposed upon them. The fervent hopes of the expecter subtly steer the doer’s every move. The cruel lesson reflected back is that lofty praise can be as much a shackle as it is a spur.

A self-fulfilling prophecy is a bizarre ritual in which a mere prediction bends reality to its will. Speak the incantation of expectation, and mortals will unconsciously obey until the prophecy becomes a sacrificial lamb at the altar of real life. Both positive and negative forecasts are nurtured equally, eventually empowering one outcome to dominate your thoughts. Repeat 'I have no talent' long enough, and you'll star in your own tragedy; whisper 'I can do it,' and the world conspires on your behalf. Care to don the robe of prophecy and bind your future in the chains of your own making?