Expectations
“An expectation, which is a belief that is centered on the future, may or may not be realistic. A less advantageous result gives rise to the emotion of disappointment. If something happens that is not at all expected, it is a surprise.”
Wikipedia
I’ve had expectations of myself as I worked through this dissertation writing process. I set daily writing goals. I schedule daily writing times. I target what I need to complete for each smaller section of the dissertation. I have a plan – a blueprint to get this dissertation completed. As I work on the revisions of the discussion chapter and the writing of the final concluding chapter, I keep track of my progress with lists and to-do check-ins.
So it comes with no great surprise that I have not met my expectations. After the OER 2023 conference, I had an expectation to complete the writing. As I approach the end of April, my expected date to have the dissertation done has arrived. Is it done? No! It’s not! Far from it! I have at least another month of hard writing to come.
Yet, I am about to take two weeks away from my desk, to take a much needed break from this PhD work. This is a planned trip with my sisters; one that was a long time goal, impacted by the pandemic, and influenced by the death of a much loved cousin. It is a return for each of us to our roots in the Netherlands. So, I defer and recognize that not meeting expectations that are self imposed will now be adjusted to meet expectations I have held with my sisters for some time. That’s how life rolls – meeting or not meeting expectations is part of the journey.
Image attribution: Michele Tedesco, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
