Navigating Life's Disappointments
Life is full of disappointments. Life wouldn't be as special if we got everything we wanted. The beauty of the life experience is having to navigate both the high points and the low points. It's hard. It's hard to see things crumble before your eyes. You may get your hopes up about an opportunity and life is going great, but the next minute, it's gone.
We should all prepare for these moments before they happen. We should train our minds so that we are free from the feelings that come from gut-wrenching disappointment. I believe it all boils down to perspective. The way we look at things is powerful. How we frame situations can be the difference between a positive emotion and a negative one.
A simple yet profound way to view the world is through the lens of gratitude. You can reframe your situation through gratitude by thinking better thoughts such as "I'm so grateful that I'm alive, getting to experience life" or "I'll get the next one". These thoughts change everything. They turn disappointment on its head and allow you to not get down. They even allow you to be kind to yourself in the face of disappointment.
Acknowledging that you tried your best and will bounce back is the single greatest thing you can do. Move on and don't dwell on it. The more you dwell, the more you're letting the past influence your present. Just don't be so hard on yourself. I know it's really hard, but give yourself some grace. You can't win all the time.
It reminds me of Viktor Frankl's quote: "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way". Applying to disappointment, you can choose how you frame things. You can choose your attitude. You can change your perspective. Combine all three and you'll be unstoppable in the face of disappointment.