Dealing With Disappointment

BY: SHEENA BLAKE

How do you deal with disappointment? Do you sit and feel sorry for yourself? Do you seek encouragement from others? Do you take your time and solve the problem? These questions seem weighted, but they are not. I think that sometimes, it is important to feel sorry for ourselves. Sometimes it is important to seek wisdom and encouragement from others and sometimes it is important to solve the problem. But, here’s the thing; we don’t typically know how to deal with disappointment until it hits us…right square in the face.

Obvious, today’s topic is on dealing with disappointment. Of course, if you tend to read my articles, you know that I have zero interest in giving anyone advice. If this is your first article with me, welcome . I don’t give advice unless someone asks for it…and even then, I don’t give advice, I share the little bits of wisdom that I may know. So, when it comes to dealing with disappointment, I just want to speak to the topic rather than create a ‘how to’ manual.

When I first began my business, I published a brilliant book. I spent hour after hour agonizing over its fruition and completion. Its author was keen, brilliant and eager. Finally, after weeks and weeks of labour and research, driving and money, it was completed! I was so excited. I wanted to deliver the book to the author myself, and I did. We took pictures; we celebrated with hugs and slight tears. It was magical.

Then, while on my way home, I received a phone call from this same author. The book was falling apart…literally. The pages were falling out! OMG! I couldn’t breathe. I was certain my heart was going to fall out of my body and be crushed by on coming traffic. I was shaking; I could barely drive my car. This book that I had spent so much time on…was a mess??!! I WAS CRUSHED.

When I got home, I told my husband and my father. “I quit. I am not good at this and I have to just let it all go!” I said this with tears streaming down my cheeks.

“HAHA,” they laughed simultaneously. “So, you’re just going to quit?” said my dad. “Just like that?” said my husband. “Sounds a little crazy if you ask me…”

How could they understand? This wasn’t their business! I went to sleep very early that night, wallowing in self pity.

I am glad I did, though. I’m glad that I wallowed. I’m glad that I felt bad, terrible even. I think I needed to feel that in order to go and do better. I think disappointment’s job is to make us slow down. I had to learn how to fix this, how to fix a problem. I had to learn how to make great books. I had to GROW.

To this day, disappointment like this still brings me to tears. It still makes me go to bed early. Ha! But, if there is one thing I learned from my father, a good sleep can fix almost anything! “Joy cometh in the morning; troubles don’t last always.” By morning, I am usually ready to seek a solution and go, again, but better.

Sometimes, we need to take two steps back to take four steps forward. How do you manage disappointment? I really want to know!

Peace and blessings.