By JESSE SUTTON
News Editor
Growing up, my mom always emphasized that my best character traits had as many positives as negatives.
Like Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben would say, “with great power comes great responsibility,” and there’s two sides to every coin. For example, honesty is a character trait that is valued by someone who wants to hear the truth, but it may be the last thing someone needs in a sensitive moment.
I’ve realized this also applies to holding high expectations. On one hand, holding yourself and those around you to high expectations can exhaust everyone. What if the goal is completely unattainable? Plus, life just sometimes gets in the way of things that have to be done.
But, on the other hand, I argue that holding high expectations has just as many positives as negatives, especially when pertaining to self-motivation.
Often, I see people sell themselves short, failing to recognize the greatness they could achieve if they just believed in themselves and tried.
Higher expectations could result in more self-motivation where someone may push himself or herself to complete a goal and accomplish something that seemed impossible. The downside to this would be pushing too long and too far, but that’s when great friends step in.
Likewise, holding high expectations for friends can also be effective. The friends we surround ourselves with will change us and affect the decisions we make on a daily basis. So, in my opinion, holding high expectations of our friends is necessary. Friends should make us better and push us to make better decisions instead of holding us back and encouraging us to settle below our abilities.
Of course, this is all a balancing game. To expect someone to act a way and do certain things means we must also expect that of ourselves. But, if we strive and push ourselves past what we think we can accomplish, I think we can do so much more and end up better in the end.