Handling Disappointment

Disappointment is an inevitable part of home-based business. Clients won't pay, bids fall through, or business associates don't come through on their promises or act unethically. Some people will deliberately foster cynicism in their consciousness as a way of avoiding the pain of disappointment. This is mistaken as a means of making life better. Disappointment is a temporary condition. Cynicism is a long term poisoning sickness. Neither is necessary; but until the addiction to cynicism is broken, the attraction of positive events in life is greatly inhibited. Thus there is a cycle of disappointment and cynicism. Let go of that negativity and let the good in.

Cynicism is the result of frustrated anger. We have failed to give ourselves permission to own our anger about some life event, by telling ourselves that we should have known better in the first place. This allows no space to express or release the anger, and a cycle can be set up of trying to avoid the same situation from occurring again. So, we will say "I knew it," or some version of that as a form of defense against this internalized anger.

A better attitude to take is one of realism. We must accept that it's alright to be angry, to know that life is not supposed to go badly. We must acknowledge that the world does not always reward people on the basis of our merits and go on from there. Nothing will change for the better unless we want it to and take concrete steps to make this happen. Cynicism deprives us of the energy we need to make things better for ourselves and the rest of the world.

About The Author

Janet K. Ilacqua is a freelance writer based in Tracy, California. She specializes in academic writing and ghostwriting of books and manuals for individuals and small businesses. For more information about her services, check her website at http://www.writeupondemand.com.

jilacqua@aol.com