Aspirations...Expectations...Needs

“Keep high aspirations, moderate expectations, and small needs” - William Howard Stein 

I came across this quote 3 years ago and from that moment I wanted to apply its teachings in my life. I believe that the whole concept of happiness revolves around these three things. 

The first one; keeping high aspiration is important since ambition is a key starter for anyone’s journey towards their goal. Before we succeed; we dream and this dream is the only thing which keeps us on the track of success and gives us hope that things will be alright whenever we are in difficult phase in this journey. It’s like the concept of a rocket… the amount and efficiency of the fuel in a rocket decides its altitude. The same way if we set our goals within realistic limits and we have the zeal to achieve it then nothing can stop us. 

The second one is the most difficult one to apply; having moderate expectations; why I am saying this is because it’s quite difficult to gauge our expectations. No matter how mature we are and how balanced life we are living we come across situations where we start expecting things from people which sometime are not justifiable, if you see from third person’s point of view. We start living in these expectations and start putting burden on people around us which in turn strains the relationship. 

Then what do we do in such situations; well here starts the difficult part you have to see the things in right perspective and start applying yourself so that you keep your expectations in check. It will not only give you satisfaction it will also save you from chasing a mirage which is created by your mind fueled by your feelings. 

If you see the other side of it then you will come to know what happens when other people have high expectations from you what will you do. If you think that these expectations are not at all justifiable then you can tell the other person straightaway but if you think its right then you just keep working towards these expectations and you will reach your goals in some time.

The key here is patience and persistence. 

The third one small needs; is it possible in today’s world? My view will be its good to live in luxury but not when you are living on your credit cards. So it’s important that we should review what we really need and then go for it. 

I am not saying we should stop dreaming. Its good to dream but we should not try to achieve them with shortcuts. The satisfaction which comes when we achieve something after a lot of hard work is simply eternal. Nothing can beat it and if you reach to a position by working hard where you can afford luxury then it’s all yours. 

One more advantage of building things from scratch will be, if unfortunately at some day everything you have will be taken away from you, you will still have the confidence that you can start everything again. Having small needs help a lot especially in the time of recessions. I hope you agree with me…