3 Steps to Overcome Disappointment: Life and business are full of ups and downs. Sometimes it takes us a while to get started, we gain momentum, and then have that momentum come to a screeching halt. The lease falls through, we lose the client, an employee quits, or we get a bad review on social media. In all of the ups and downs, one thing I have learned is that it is hard to appreciate the successes without going through the disappointments.
While the disappointments never feel good, there is a way to leverage them to your advantage. There are three things that come to mind that can help you overcome disappointment.
Come from a grateful heart
When you remember to approach every disappointment with a grateful heart, a beautiful, new perspective arises. Gratitude turns your attention to what you do have instead of what you don’t. And research suggests that gratitude may enhance emotional healing, including disappointment. Gratitude helps the brain fully process events, meaning grateful people achieve closure by making sense of disappointments so that they mesh with a generally positive outlook.
Don’t move into victim mode – look for solutions
It’s so easy to slide into victim mode when you experience disappointment. Victim mode is when you feel that life happens to you and that your circumstances are out of your control. This often results in you blaming others for what happens to you instead of taking responsibility for a situation. Responsibility equals hard work and most times it’s easier to blame others than it is to put in the necessary work. So, put in the work necessary to understand what can be done better next time and use it to your advantage.
Control your attitude and reaction
You can’t control every outcome in your life, but you can control how you react to it. Choosing not to react to disappointment with anger, sadness, or a victim mentality leads to increased happiness and positivity while allowing you to regain power and control in your life.
All of us experience moments of disappointment. Whether they are major instances or just an inconvenience, how we respond does matter. Embrace disappointments and let them make you stronger. Allow them to fill you with more gratitude and empowerment. Responding to disappointments using these three tips will let them enhance your life’s experiences instead of take from them.
STACY OLDFIELD
After nearly 25 years in Corporate America, Stacy launched Minerva Management Partners as a way to combine those years of business experience with her life coaching certification and love for coaching women. Minerva Management Partners is a business coaching practice designed to support women entrepreneurs committed to launching and growing their business. Also, as a Results Coach with Robbins Research International, Stacy helps business women to focus their ideas and efforts and holds them accountable for achieving their goals. Whether it’s helping women discover creative solutions to their business challenges, coaching them to be clear and decisive, or helping them see and take action on new opportunities, Stacy guides them to achieve the business and career results they are seeking. Stacy is also the creator of the Minerva 3-Day Networking Challenge and the Network Like a Boss Lady On-Demand training program. Stacy has been invited to speak to many audiences within South Carolina including the Center for Women, Women Entrepreneurs of Charleston, the Women of the Workforce program of the Naval Information Warfare Center (SPAWAR), Charleston Women in Business, Association of Fundraising Professionals, SCANPO, graduate classes at both The Citadel and the College of Charleston (CofC), and Leadership CofC. She currently serves as a mentor through the Women of Excellence Program at Xavier University and previously served on the Board of Directors for the Beautiful Gate Center and on the advisory board of the SC Women’s Business Center.
