QnA with Sri Sri
Friday, July 17, 2015

 Q: How do I manage the expectations of people around me, and how to be happy without expecting much from my loved ones? 

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: See, you do your 100% and then that’s it! If they expect more from you, say, "I am so sorry, I can’t do this". If you are not a doctor and somebody expects you to treat them, what would you do? Will you give them an injection just to satisfy them? No! You have to honestly tell them, "My dear, I am sorry", and they will understand that. You do your 100% and that is how you manage others' expectations.

 Now, you expect others to do something for you. Well, if they don’t do it, don’t become miserable. Have compassion and see that this is the limit of their capacity. They have not learned the art of expression. Don’t expect someone to say 'Thank you' and all nice things. Suppose they don’t thank you, have compassion on them that they haven’t been trained or cultured that way. You simply have to see beyond an event or incident.

 Take it to a bigger scale and you will see that, in this world, the behavior of a person is the outcome of their upbringing, their education, and their environment. If they lack these three things, it will show in their behavior. So, instead of blaming them, feel sorry for them that they didn’t get the education that you got. They haven’t developed the same type of sensitivity that you have. You are sensitive to others' demands; they aren't! Suppose someone does something for you and you express your gratefulness and thank them. If they don’t reciprocate, you simply have to attribute it to their lack of education and culturing rather than blame them. This is what I would suggest you to do. See, if you blame them, you feel bitter, but if you attribute it to their lack of their culturing or education, you are at peace. What do you say?

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