Life is full of challenges; life is filled with uphill tasks and difficult situations that could make you disappointed. Disappointment is a natural part of life and it could come at times when you thought you had everything under control.
However, your ability to cope with disappointment is what would make you find fulfillment, and it would help you overcome every challenge at the end of it all. When you let disappointment get the better of you, you might never achieve that which you’ve always wanted.
The following steps would help you cope with disappointment.
1. ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR FEELINGS
Yes, it’s not wrong to feel disappointed; trying to hush away the feelings could lead to bigger problems later on. You’re disappointed because you are passionate about something or it means a lot to you — you can’t push away such feelings because they are the drive you need to achieve success. So the first step is to acknowledge what you’re feeling.
2. DON’T TAKE IT UPON YOURSELF
This is the point where lots of people get it wrong when it comes to handling disappointment. Do not take it upon yourself; blaming yourself over and over again would never solve the problem — it would only bring misery, and this might hinder you from moving forward.
3. LOOK AT THE BIGGER PICTURE
This is an important step when handling disappointment; how you handle this step is what would push you on to do more. The tiniest of disappointments can look so big, but when you sit down and reflect on the bigger picture, you would see the need to still keep on. Think of the effect of not handling that situation properly and how it would affect your tomorrow, and also think of how far you can go if you handle the situation better.
4. PUT AWAY DOUBTS
Sometimes, disappointment comes with doubts; it could make you lose belief in yourself and in your ideas, and make you feel like a total failure. Take disappointments to be the gallops and potholes that may come your way, but your ability to drive through is what would make reach your desired destination.
Always remember that you aren’t the first to face a disappointing situation — everyone has, and every successful person became successful because they handled disappointments well.
5. REVIEW EXPECTATIONS AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS
Disappointment doesn’t mean it’s over; it could be a sign that you have to tweak things around — it means try again. When you’re faced with a disappointing situation, take a good look at the event, perhaps your expectation was a bit unrealistic and needs adjustment, or perhaps, your plan needs an adjustment.
6. TRY AGAIN
After looking at the big picture and reassessing your plan, the only step and probably the most important step you should take is to try again. Trying again is where your breakthrough lies; if you don’t try again then failure is automatic.
Some of life’s disappointment comes from things we have no control over or things which were caused by our mistakes and actions — and in both cases, not handling the disappointment well would signal the end, when it shouldn’t.
Learning how to handle disappointment regardless of the trials and difficulties is a big part of life that every successful person knows.
Jake