At some point in life we all deal with disappointment. It is inevitable. You will, there is no escaping it. I was thinking about it the other day and trying to analyse it and see if there is a way to reduce or eliminate the negative side (because that is what I do all day….try to avoid all the pain in life ha ha ha).
Anyway getting back to my point. the best part about disappointment is what we almost never focus on. The fact that in order to be disappointed you actually have to have a hope for something better than what occurred.
I think we all hope for something better (the intrinsic you I mean). We know deep down that this is not all there is.
Look I am not saying we should live in a bubble and in fairy land…..but life as we know it now is not what it is meant to be. So for now I think that element of being disappointed is always going to be around.
I guess its how you manage it or deal with the people around you that will determine the outcome of it.
But here are a few pointers to minimize the after effects :
– Most people think of themselves and therefore you will not be high on their list of considerations. Therefore assume that as a given and you will not be too disappointed when they fail your expectation of them. And people will fail you
– That said, we get most disappointed when our expectation of the outcome we forecast (in our heads of course) does not line up with the reality. Solution, try not to forecast….. Seems so simple to say, but it is possible. I am not saying be a pessimist (although its so much fun being one since I am a pro at it). I am saying when it comes to expecting from people, live in the moment and be surprised by the outcome.
– Stop expecting people to be what you not…..and yes this deserves some introspection.
– People assume many things about many things and you, so why would you expect people to “know you” if most people don’t bother find out the truth anyway.
So all this is doable when dealing with humans, but what about God. He is perfect and does not suffer our failings, yet more people are disappointed in God (even the ones that don’t necessarily believe He exists). And we think we have it tough.
I will only venture one suggestion (IMHO). Most people don’t really know Him. So its almost impossible to not be disappointed when you have no idea what to expect (since you do not know Him). Also God’s P.R. officers (christians) have largely done a terrible job of representing Him.
Most of what is presented today is not true of Him, so disappointment in God is rife and rather unfairly so. Its normal for people to be disappointed, that’s okay, but at least let it be because you know the real person and work through it.
Enough said for today.
the Honest One
I don’t deal well with disappointment (and not just because I can never remember whether to double the s, the p, or both). I try to live life with as few expectations as possible and be surprised by the good stuff, because hope is just the worst emotion for me. It’s paired to closely with despair.
I don’t think anyone deals with disappointment well. I think its just better to not avoid it and understand that it means that there is a better way that exists and its not lining up with reality at the present
I second Jesterqueen’s thought. I never deal well with disappointment even when I pretty much know it’s coming. The good news is (as you touched on here) the disappointment is always brief and never outweighs the good!
I think one should view the disappointment in light of the fact that this is not all there is. 🙂
funny part about the failed PR officers! ha!
🙂