As I pounded the jogging track early this morning, some ideas formed in the back of my mind for my next blog. I have been applying this rule on and off for many years but never put it in writing until a few days ago when I had a chat with a friend.

Friend: “Bro, I am so disappointed with the amount of bonus and salary raise that the company has given me. I believe I have done my best last year and brought in good results. Yes, I must admit, it wasn’t really up to company’s expectation, but all of us did bad last year and I consider my result the best”
Me: “Is it discretionary bonus or an incentive based on some measurable performance objectives?”
Friend: “No some set of fixed rules. It depends on subjective performance evaluation by my Boss and next up on the ladder.”
Me: “Bro, you know very well, that kind of bonus system is full of flaws and imperfections. It depends on how your supervisor perceives your performance and how he compares it against his own values. If I were you, facing with this situation, I keep on doing my best and expect nothing”
Friend: “Whoa, expecting nothing sounds like desperate act at the end of the road”
Me: “No, it is about managing expectation and prevention from self devastation. You have been expecting an excellent reward calculated based on your judgement, but that reward is decided by some guys who might have different views. Yes, you can always argue with them, but the higher the guy’s position in the food chain, the more likely his views, not yours, which will be deemed right. You need to face the music and get on with your life. Keep on doing your best, have fun and expect nothing!”

I have had many setbacks in my life. The biggest blow hits when I feel that I don’t get decent and adequate rewards after I put up my best effort. I have come to realise that this disappointment kicks in because of my managing my expectation wrongly. In this not-perfect world, even in the business context, the reward system most of the time are not fairly evaluated based on measurable parameters. Well, not everything can be measured. Somebody else’s judgment always comes into play and you can’t expect a near-perfect result if the evaluation itself comes from imperfect jury. Of course, you can always try to shape your boss’, your spouse’s, your customer’s and your friends’ opinions about you. This has been covered well in many personal communication articles.

When I was in my secondary school, my distant relative came to visit us. I had a chance to have lunch with her and our conversation was around her social charity activity. She spent most of her time serving food to poor people and treating sick people who couldn’t afford medical bills. My adolescent mind couldn’t stop me from asking “what is in it for you?”. “Are you expecting some donations? or publications? any form of monetary or fame reward?”. Her answer struck me big time, the concept that never came across my pragmatical and then materially-clouded mind. “By serving them, I am serving the God,” she said. In my oversimplified view, she was expecting nothing from the people, only from the God.

Expecting nothing can be applied to our everyday life. How many times have we got upset when we try to help and be friendly to people but not even a simple gratitude is offered in return? How many times our good-wills are simply gone in vain, not well-appreciated, and more often than not, seen differently? Well, I had those moments and it won’t stop me from helping and making people happy and what keeps me ticking is because I don’t expect anything from anyone for as long as I have done my best and I have fun doing it.

This “expect nothing” rule must be applied wisely and by a matured mind. This doesn’t imply that you shouldn’t fight for your rights and fairness if you deserve it. If you play a game where the rules are clearly defined, and you win, you must fight for your rewards. This rule is more about managing your expectation and preparing for the worst in a not-perfect world.

I had fun doing this article for my and hopefully your benefits and I don’t expect anything from you 🙂