The Weight of Expectations.

Expectations, like shadows, loom overhead,
Cast by the bright sun of dreams we are fed.
In silence, they whisper, in daylight, they roar,
They push us, they pull us, demanding much more.

We’re born with a world wrapped in wishes and hopes,
Guided by others down well-trodden slopes.
“Be this,” they tell us, “or maybe be that,”
And so we get molded, bit by bit, flat.

When young, we were free like the birds in the sky,
Our wings spread wide, no limits to fly.
But slowly, so slowly, the cages appear,
Built with the hands of expectation and fear.

They say, “Don’t disappoint,” and so we comply,
Chasing ideals, as years pass us by.
We carry their dreams, we carry their weight,
Unsure if our own could bear the same fate.

The world says, “Achieve,” and so we embark,
Through valleys of darkness, toward an unclear mark.
We strive for success, we seek to excel,
But whose definition are we chasing so well?

In school, they expected the best of our minds,
Good grades, sharp thoughts, with no room to unwind.
We memorized facts and rehearsed all the rules,
Measured not by our worth, but the tests in the schools.

Our parents, they wanted a future so bright,
They said, “You can do it, just follow the light.”
And so we pursued what they hoped to see,
But where, in their plans, was the space just for me?

We carry it forward, this invisible load,
Expectations that haunt every path, every road.
From career to love, from success to fame,
Each step feels like we’re playing a game.

A game with no winner, where standards are high,
And failing to meet them brings tears to the eye.
The pressure builds up, like a dam holding fast,
Till one day it cracks, the flood rushing past.

But in that release, there’s a powerful truth,
A lesson unlearned since the days of our youth:
Expectations are mirrors, but not always clear,
They show us reflections that aren’t always dear.

Sometimes, they distort what we want to be,
They blur who we are, who we wish to see.
The voices of others drown out our own call,
Till we no longer hear what matters at all.

But what if we paused, what if we stopped,
What if those burdens were finally dropped?
What if we listened, deep inside,
To the voice that, for so long, we’ve tried to hide?

For within us lies a quiet, calm space,
Free from the rush of life’s endless race.
It’s there we’ll find, not what’s expected,
But the parts of ourselves long neglected.

It whispers, “You are enough, as you stand,
You don’t need the world to understand.
Your worth isn’t measured by grades or by gold,
Your heart, your spirit, are treasures untold.”

Expectations can guide us, but they mustn’t control,
For only we can truly know our own soul.
There’s beauty in freedom, in paving your way,
In deciding for yourself how bright shines your day.

So break through the chains that have held you so tight,
Let go of the need to be always “just right.”
Redefine success on your terms, not theirs,
Free yourself from society’s glares.

Because life’s not a race, and it’s not a stage,
Where every step must earn someone’s praise.
It’s a journey that bends, twists, and turns,
A path where your own heart’s desire burns.

Expectations, though heavy, need not be your guide,
You are more than the image you hold deep inside.
You are more than the plans that others have made,
Your worth is not something that can ever fade.

So here’s to the breaking of invisible chains,
To the release of those old, binding reins.
Here’s to the courage to dream your own dream,
To follow the flow of your own endless stream.

Here’s to the life that’s lived true to you,
Free from the weight of what others construe.
To the joy that comes from knowing your worth,
To living a life rooted deep in rebirth.

For in the end, expectations will fall,
Like dust from the rafters, no weight left at all.
What matters, dear soul, is the path you carve clear,
A journey that’s yours, with nothing to fear.

In the quiet of night, when the world’s fast asleep,
Listen to the voice, the one buried deep.
Let it guide you, let it lead you to peace,
To a life where expectations finally cease.

Because the greatest expectation to meet, in the end,
Is to live as yourself, no need to pretend.
To rise every day, content in your heart,
Knowing that, in this world, you play your part.

Not by what’s asked or what’s been implied,
But by the truth you hold deep inside.
For there lies the key to your own liberation,
A life lived free from expectation.

And in that freedom, you will finally see,
The power of being unapologetically free.