Disappointment...How Do You Deal With It?

We All Carry Disappointments  
Life takes its toll.  If we lack a right perspective, disappointments and setbacks accumulate over time and can cause depression and an inability to have hope for the future.  Franciscan author Richard Rohr put it this way, “Until we walk with despair, and still have hope, we will not know that our hope was not just hope in ourselves, in our own successes, in our power to make a difference, in our image of what perfection should be.  We need hope from a much deeper Source. We need a hope larger than ourselves.”… “This very journey is probably the heart of what Jesus came to reveal.”

I couldn't agree more.  When it comes to processing disappointments, it is more about where you process them than how you process them.  Where do you process life's disappointments and setbacks? I hope you have a place outside of your "head space" to reflect and draw inspiration.

Here's how Dr. Martin Luther King suggests we deal with disappointment, "We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope." 

Actor Michael J. Fox, who struggles physically every day had this perspective.   "There's always failure. And there's always disappointment. And there's always loss. But the secret is learning from the loss, and realizing that none of those holes are vacuums."

Can People Count on You?

Can People Count on You?
 
Are you known as someone who is consistent?  Do you hang-in-there and endure with associates who are going through hardship?  Are you a friend in both the good and the bad times?  Do people know they can count on you?

Like me, I suspect you deeply appreciate people who demonstrate the value of consistency.  And I am sure that many people would characterize you as someone they can count on.  This value has a profound impact on our productivity and our relationships.

As we strive for the "high road” here is a recommended set of values that I believe ought to govern our behavior in the marketplace and every place:

• Patience
• Kindness
• Celebration
• Moderation
• Manners
• Give, Give, Give
• Peace
• Let go
• Truth
• Perseverance
• Positivity
• Hopeful
• Consistent 

Let’s make our sliver of creation a little better for those we interact with.  Won’t you join me in demonstrating virtue?

John Major once said, "It is time to return to core values, time to get back to basics, to self-discipline and respect for the law, to consideration for the others, to accepting responsibility for yourself and your family - and not shuffling it off on other people and the state."  Be a force for good in the marketplace and every place so we make the world a better place.

How to Ensure a Good Outcome

Positivity

My father used to have a picture of a Basset Hound (the saddest looking dog in the world) hanging in his office with the caption “Act enthusiastic and you’ll be enthusiastic.”  Dad was the consummate positive thinker and I have benefited greatly from his example.

Acting positively isn’t a game or a trick.  It works.  While I am not suggesting that you discount reality, I am suggesting that when we approach life with a positive attitude things generally work out better.  Be a “glass is half full” kind or person and be a positive force to those around you.

Hopeful 

Hopeful is positivity’s next door neighbor.  Hopeful says:

• It is going to be a good day. 
• Things are going to go well at today’s board meeting.
• I will have the wisdom to know how to act if something goes wrong.
• What may break can be fixed.
• Even though I didn’t sleep, well I will have the energy I need for the day.

Own the perspective of Jack Canfield who said, "Successful people maintain a positive focus in life no matter what is going on around them. They stay focused on their past successes rather than their past failures, and on the next action steps they need to take to get them closer to the fulfillment of their goals rather than all the other distractions that life presents to them."
Positivity and Hopeful look forward to a good outcome, hopefully.

Press On and On and On

Perseverance 
What are your core principles?  One of mine is to never give up. I am grateful that perseverance is somehow resident deep in my soul.  Winston Churchill had it too.  Remember the famous line in his speech where he said “never, never, never give up”?

When we, like Churchill, are experiencing overwhelming attack or bad odds we must keep our face square into the wind and press on.  Showing persistence will also encourage those who look to us.  Seeing our example, they are likely to mimic our perseverance and display this character quality to those they interact with.  

Newt Gingrich once said, "Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did."  We all know what that feels like.