Why do I have such high expectations of the world?!

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

You're probably a perfectionist which is a form of OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder). Finding anything other than perfection depresses you because it is negative. Depression is caused by negativity. Look up "perfectionism","OCD" and "depression" in Yahoo! web searches. You might profit from psychotherapy.

People are happy for different reasons but it sounds to me like you wonder about those who accept life for what it is and others for what they are without any grandiose pessimism about them. Look up "pessimism", "optimism" and "positive thinking" in web searches and strive for "positive thinking" which is the hallmark of optimism. All these searches are for things a psychotherapist might bring up. He/she can integrate them for you.

People don't have any secret for their happiness, they are just mostly positive; it is you who is miserable because of your negative thinking.

Good luck!

Life as seen by an optimist. An optimist holds that this is "The best of all possible worlds.".

I believe many of us fall into this trap of realizing the people in this world aren't perfect and we hear of all the incredible dumb things people can do. Plus with the internet we hear of things that 15-20 years ago we never would have known. I don't believe the majority of this world is made up of reprehensible people..We just hear more about those ones than the others.

I'm a perfectionist too. What I do is try not to care what other people think, and take my time on things. If I feel not good enough, I try and move on and try to do better next time.

I drink a lot of water. It calms me(:

Sometimes the people we love hurt us the most, you know? A friend once told me this; I think what he meant was: when we care about someone (or someones), we tend to hold high expectations of them - often impossible expectations. Then, they can't help but let us down. People just aren't perfect, because life just isn't perfect. Think of painting like an watercolor painting. Your first.

So, maybe you started off trying to paint a landscape of a forest lake, which is hidden by this magnificent blue-green foliage you have in your head. Oops. Your paintbrush slips. The thing about watercolor is...it's permanent. But that's the beautiful part. Every mistake becomes the masterpiece...Suddenly, a ray of tawny, salmon brilliance emerges - the sun. It's hope.

And so this is life. It's watercolor, imperfect. Impossible to predict. Beautiful when you step back and look at the finished piece.

I know it must be hard to just "take it" or what I say, as if the world is just a grain of salt - which one may casually blow like a kiss to the wind. However, just take a look at David to be inspired: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_(Mich… We did in art class in high school; mind you, looking at him was required in that class, as he was on the wall... :P (Did you know that Michelangelo got the block of marble on sale, because the original owner gave up and hacked off a huge chunk? WELL! Michelangelo saw David's ****** hip in that chunk. Call it one guy's mistake. Or another guy's ticket to immortality.)

You said it yourself you have expectations that are higher than most people. It's not a problem,but to you it is. You just have a drive to be the best you can be.A vast majority don't care. they are happy because, they are satisfied and are happy. There is nothing wrong with you or them they live the life they choose. Yes there are the miserable people that have drive and will always strive for more, You may know some people like that, Life has a way of wearing people down, and the ones that are just coasting along are there because any number of them have been disappointed too many times to care. You have that drive and never settle with just OK. If you remember you can't change everybody,but you maintain your standards, be glad you have, what others lack.

-Evidently because You WANT the World to be as Good as YOU are... And unfortunately- it Isn't. -So you end up Disappointed... -over, & Over again. :( And since the World isn't going to Go On to meet YOUR Expectations; YOU have to learn to accept ITS Limitations- and be Thankful that YOU aren't as Messed Up, -as IT is... If you CAN'T find it in Yourself- to Understand the poor Unfortunates around You. -Then at least TRY to show some Compassion towards Them. Afterall, YOU "have a great Life..." But obviously- They DIDN'T :(

Realize and accept the fact that nobody is perfect. The world is not perfect. You must have a loved one that is not perfect but you love them for something else. Look past the imperfections and truly see the beauty in each and every individual. Do you see yourself as perfect? Maybe that is why you have these problems because you expect people to be like you. Stop looking at the little details of a painting and zoom out to see the whole picture. Then will you be able to see the masterpiece that God created. Think of others who see you as imperfect but they still accept you for who you are. Good luck in life my friend!