How Expectations Stall Progress

Getting Through Life and Work When Trying to Be Perfect Slows You Down

"Whatever it is you're seeking won't come in the form you're expecting"

— Haruki Murakami.

Murakami's quote nails the reality; it's one of the key lessons I've learned in life and my career so far. It's about managing expectations. Better yet, avoid placing too much hope on people or things.

Plan for bad times, but don't think everything will go perfectly.

We can't control it all. I should be writing an expert article right now. But instead, I'm writing these thoughts. Why? I want my article to be really good, but that makes me stuck.

If I shed these expectations and just begin, I'll likely end up with something good after a few drafts.

This lesson applies to almost everything in life. There are Hadiths that warn against expecting too much from humans to avoid disappointment.

Having premature high expectations, especially for creative and novel tasks, blinds you to the importance of the work itself—not just the end product but the craft and the act of creating.

So now, I'm paying attention to what really counts and what I can control. Talking about how I feel is good for me, even with all the crazy stuff happening in the world.

Sometimes, I think about things I wish I'd done differently. I've messed up a lot, but each mistake helps me grow. I get better each time things don't go as I thought they would.

My current focus? Building a work routine and learning to appreciate the process.

I recently saw a tweet: "In Silicon Valley, VCs don't know which bets will succeed. In LA, producers don't know which movies will hit." Even experts can't predict the future.

The takeaway? Just focus on creating.

Not everything you try will work out, and that's fine. What's important is that you enjoy doing it, not just what you end up with.