They say you should never let yourself have any expectations; that way, you can never be disappointed. Others say you should live as a dreamer and never give up hope, because sometimes this can mean more than reality itself. My mother has always had a great way of balancing the two, I think–I have always been taught to hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. 

Anyone that knows me knows that the first part of that statement could not be more true, I am an eternal optimistic, always hoping for the best. But lately I have been taking the second part of that statement, being prepared for the worst, too far and almost expecting the worst. There is quite a great difference between the two. Expecting the worst is the pessimistic version of being prepared for the worst, and it is something that I am constantly trying to work on. 

I know that as long as I stay true to who I am and live my life the best way I possibly can, then the rest is out of my control. I do honestly hope that everything works out for the best in every aspect of my life, but I am also trying to be prepared for the worst instead of just expecting it. When I do the latter, my outlook on everything else also seems to dim down, but when I simply prepare for the worst, I can still focus on the positive and hope for the best.

I am not sure if my outlook has been adequately portrayed above, but I do hope this provides some sense of how I try to live my life. It is true you should not have any expectations, but you should also never give up hope for a positive future. It can be hard to balance the two at times, but once you practice it and apply it, it can make all the difference. This is just my two cents, but feel free to comment below on what life outlook works for you.