Optimizing disappointment

Optimizing disappointment sounds a little like an oxymoron, right?

Well, we all know disappointment is part of life, so how we deal with it is going to be important. Does it have to mean a setback? When disappointments come, what do you do?

I know initially, they irritate me. 😡 Literally, they get under my skin and produce this discomfort that often wells up in fear. I have studied that about myself.

But that is just the surface…like indicator lights on a dashboard.

The more important work is to investigate my response.

Now in the past, IF I would investigate, and that was a big IF, here’s how it went.

Most times I just tried to either avoid, accommodate or quickly get past to forget.  But when I did investigate I often would go down the road of trying to figure out WHY this happened, which usually would come back to some deficiency in me or possibly spiritual punishment or consequences or even assassination of my character. 😲 So pausing to think about the pain was not always helpful as you can see. It often led down the road to more pain, hence the avoidance technique.

So I came to this place where neither avoidance (which often resulted in repetition of the pain ) nor examination seemed productive.
UGH, what’s a girl to do?

It’s in those very moments where I feel there is nowhere to go that I realize…ahhhhh, this one’s for me and it’s time to make some internal changes. Time to shift my perspective. 💡 Now in order to do this more quickly and efficiently, my internal foundation and mental fitness needed up-leveling.

I have only been able to optimize disappointment successfully since I put 2 key mental and spiritual anchors in place. 

1. Now with a much clearer view of all the wonderful gifts God has given me, I feel equipped.
2. And with confidence in the pathway He has me on, I feel this is not interruption or distraction but rather vital information.

This allows for the shift to optimization.

I now realize the pain of disappointment is direction. That this obstacle is my opportunity and possibly even as Renee, a fellow team member, calls it, a gateway.

Now I see the pain of disappointment as my very loud and clear guide, not punishment, weakness, slander, or defamation of my character…but purely a strong and wonderful direction that I need to get me where God is calling me.

So empowering actually to shift this viewpoint. Try it! 

Saves you a whole lot of time and wasted emotional energy as well.

What if each of your disappointments really were just loving, loud and clear directions to get you where you want to go and God is calling?

Struggling to see that? Then I might suggest that the foundation of your beliefs about yourself and your value and your role here needs some work.

This is not easy. I don’t want to make it sound like it is. It often requires support and even investment. But what are the alternatives?

Are you going to avoid disappointment and expect very little from life or have you allowed disappointment to crush your dreams?

There is a better way.

As always we are here if you want help.

To optimizing YOUR disappointments!