Embrace Disappointment
It's no secret that a lot of us are afraid of failure. It's also not a secret that a lot of us are afraid to hope as well. But do a lot of us think why that is? I believe underneath these surface level fear is something greater, and that is the fear of disappointment. Disappointment stings, it feels intense and suffocating. It feels like the world just came crashing down on your chest and there is no way out of this trap. But what if instead of avoiding disappointment, we learn to accept it and maybe even fully embrace it? Because let's be honest, disappointment in life is inevitable. Nothing will always go the way you hoped it would. Life will throw curveballs in a way that will make your heart shatter and make you question everything about yourself.
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And honestly, the more we do our best to avoid the discomfort of disappointment and escape into our comfort zone, the more we may be preventing ourselves from experiencing the growth and fulfillment our souls crave. A lot of the time we have to take that risk. We have to be willing to fail. We have to be willing to stay hopeful and optimistic. Because while there is a possibility we get knocked down and are left with the pain of disappointment, there is also a huge chance the life we want is on the other side. In fact, if you come to think about it, disappointment is inevitable no matter what you decide to do. Whether that is stepping out of your comfort zone or staying in it, you will face disappointment. It's about choosing what disappointments you would rather accept the possibility of facing. It is the disappointment of not achieving what you wanted to despite striving towards it. Or it is the disappointments that life was always going to hand you on your current trajectory. The latter also comes with regret. The regret that you could've taken actions towards your dreams but chose not to. This regret may not sting in the short term but absolutely feels painful in the long term, slowly eating you alive from the inside out.
In my opinion, the solution is to embrace disappointment. Because embracing disappointment opens the doors to your dreams. Whereas avoiding disappointment closes those doors and it also comes with nasty side effect of regret.
