Disappointments are an ever-present reality of life. Among the biggest sources of disappointment are:
⁃ Unmet expectations;
⁃ Finding out we are not as good at something as we previously thought;
⁃ Being let down by someone we trust;
⁃ Failing at something we feel we should not have failed at;
⁃ Not getting that job we feel we deserved or so badly wanted
We all have experienced disappointment in some form, and the list is too great to mention all the ways. It is often times greatest depending on the level of our optimism, or our level of trust in someone, or when we are overly confident in our ability to succeed. Sometimes we mistakenly feel that ‘our success is assured!’ Only to find out that it was not assured after all!
Accepting that certain outcomes are outside of our control helps us to move beyond the disappointment. However, we sometimes find it harder to do so when we feel we are to blame due to some act or omission on our part.
They say hindsight is 20/20 vision. But I suggest it is not that simple. Our actions tend to be informed by our past experiences and learning, and with fallible memories we sometimes go off course, leading to differences that can have major impact on subsequent outcomes. Put simply, nothing in life is fixed; nothing in life is constant; no specific outcome in life is assured (well except, they say, Death and Taxes🙂).
We take each moment as it comes, applying our best judgement in making our decisions, and while a certain outcome might be most likely, it is not guaranteed despite our best efforts.
Life = Disappointments. Don’t live in your disappointments; take them in stride and don’t let them hold you back.
One reply on “Life = Disappointments”
Oh yes! Absolutely important to draw lessons from the disappointment because there are indeed lessons to be learned! Hopefully at the end of the day it translates to better decisions.