Expectations in Life

Originally written on 3/28/2017:

You've heard it time after time: Life doesn't go as expected.

I was talking to one of my best friends yesterday and thought about how I have fared so far in life. Initially, I was disappointed mainly because younger me would have thought I would be married and have had children by now. Life was supposed to be: have a family and a stable job, and live the American Dream.

I wasn't supposed to be in Indiana for 5 years. I wasn't supposed to quit my job to risk doing something I was more passionate about.

There is so much that I couldn't have expected. Having the opportunity to grow my photography skills is one of the most unexpected events in my life. It has led to so many more experiences than I could have ever expected. There have been so many aspects of life that I couldn't have possibly fathomed even as a high schooler. I have become more open-minded about things I had no interest in, like art and history.

I couldn't have imagined meeting some of my best friends in the crossroads of America and having to answer "How did you like it in Indiana?" with a gigantic smile. To date, it's probably one of my favorite questions to be asked; it reminds me of how special those times were and how we continue to build our friendships even though we are hundreds of miles apart.

I've had the opportunity to really think about my priorities in life; it's not just statistics on the bank statement.

I have no doubt that I have much more to experience and grow.

7/22/18 Update

When I started this post, I wrote about not achieving my "life goals" and how my priorities have changed in thinking about my career. But it seems that I have left out a major reason why life doesn't go as expected: Things I can't control. There are plenty of things you can do to push your life in a certain direction (e.g. improving photography by taking on any type of gig). But there are things you can't control, particularly timing.

2/14/25 Update

I think it’s fun to read back on things I wrote years ago.

Some things haven’t changed. I still love it when people ask me, “How did you like it in Indiana?” We still chat on a daily basis, which is even surprising to me.

In my last update, I was beginning my photography journey and couldn’t have expected where it would take me. I certainly couldn’t expected the move to California (little did I know that I would meet Dr. Viv a few months later, and she would ask me if I would move to California). I couldn’t have imagined a life so close to medicine, particularly through the COVID pandemic.

As I grow older, my expectations for what happens in life have decreased, but my expectations for myself have increased.