High Hopes, Wrecked Anticipation

Summary

The article discusses the importance of managing expectations to avoid disappointment while still striving for personal growth and improvement.

Abstract

The article "High Hopes, Wrecked Anticipation" delves into the common experience of setting high expectations only to be met with less dramatic outcomes. It acknowledges the universality of this experience and the resulting disappointment. The author suggests that while having low expectations might protect one from disappointment, it is not always the best approach. Instead, maintaining a balanced hope and focusing on personal effort and experience is advocated. The narrative includes a personal anecdote where the author, despite not winning a competition, took pride in their improvement and used the experience to fuel their motivation for future challenges. The article concludes by encouraging readers to persevere and maintain their spirit in the face of unmet expectations.

Opinions

The author believes that having high hopes is not inherently bad but should be tempered with realism.
Expectations should be adjusted according to the situation; for instance, if one's life depends on a competition, it is justifiable to have high expectations after putting in significant effort.
The author emphasizes the value of experience and self-improvement over the outcome of an event.
Disappointment from unmet expectations should not lead to demotivation; instead, it should be a catalyst for harder work and determination.
The article suggests that maintaining confidence and spirit is crucial, regardless of the results of one's endeavors.

It might not always turn out how you expected it to

Have you ever been in a situation when you’ve had high hopes for something and expected astronomical outcomes, but only for it to be very subtle and nothing much? I bet you’ve been.

In fact, it’s no lie that we’ve all found ourselves in such a situation. It feels terrible when your anticipation was not worthwhile. So, what do we do? An often said and heard proverb is ‘Keep your expectations low’. How true is it? Should you actually have always low expectations? Well, it depends. You can never be 100% sure on anything — maybe you can, but to have that feeling is rare. Say, if you entered a competition and are now awaiting the results, it’s only good to have neutral hope. Believe in yourself that you did good and you might get a prize. And even if you don’t, don’t get demotivated, experience is all-important. Now, if your life depended on a competition, (I wonder what kind. Squid Game?) work hard prior. Only then you can be confident about winning. You must have the feeling that you’ve spent way too much sweat, tears and blood working for something and you will achieve it. That’s it, you’ve done your part and now it’s all up to the panel of judges.

To be frank, having high hopes is not always good. You can hope, but don’t let that hope hit the moon.

It has happened to me way too many times. I thought that I could stand a chance at winning prizes in an inter-school district level arts festival. I worked hard for it. Practiced a lot. I had participated for essay writing, story writing and poem writing. I believed in myself that I could impress the judges with what I had concocted. Well, I definitely couldn’t. I may not have emerged with a prize, but I had secured 2 grades for story writing and versification, a C grade and B grade respectively. I didn’t get demotivated though. My anticipation may have been wrecked, but my spirit was untouched! I like to look at the positive side of it, this was an improvement for me. I had participated for essay writing during last year’s fest, but I didn’t manage to get a grade. But this time, at least I got grades! Now I know who I’m up against. There were about 60–70 participants. They might have written a better story, essay or poem than me. The judges might not have understood what I meant or simply didn’t like my theme. But now, this motivates me to work harder for next year, and I’m going to represent a whole new school in a whole new category with even tougher opponents.

Concluding, don’t let burnt down hopes weigh you down! Instead, rise like a phoenix from the ashes. Don’t forsake your confidence and never let anything touch your spirit.