It is a good thing for people to have great expectations of you; for people to hope and expect that you reach a certain milestone and achieve some great feat. But if all that you are doing and everything you are trying to achieve is mainly because you want to meet the expectations of others, then your longevity is quiet questionable. I doubt how long you would be able to keep up with that.
In as much as peoples expectations helps to keep you in shape and helps you to build much confidence even as it gives you drive and a sense of inspiration, make sure you expect much from yourself than they always do. That is not to say that try to live your life to impress people.
Far from that, but rather make sure you become your own hero and make yourself proud by beating their expectations. That is how you end up silencing the critics.