We've all felt it before. That drop of your stomach when you get a less than desirable grade on a math test or the sinking of your heart when you get cut from the sport you practiced hours upon hours for. Disappointment is never a good or satisfying feeling. Sometimes, a day can have so much disappointment riddled within it, you have to end it with feeling just a little sorry for yourself. Some people prefer to just set their expectations as low as possible in order to avoid the dreadful feeling that disappointment brings on. It's one thing when something really awful happens; it hurts and can certainly ruin your day. However, I find it's worse when you really have your hopes set upon something; you've been wishing and dreaming about it for weeks, months, maybe even years, and then it just falls apart. How can someone really resist feeling sorry for themselves when something like this happens?
Over the past couple of days, I just received some news that was...let's say less than thrilling. I had my hopes and fantasies pinned on something for years. It was all set to go, and it was going to happen in just less than a month; my friends and I had been counting down the days for the past six months. Then yesterday, a big piece of it just fell apart. Upon seeing this, my first reaction was just...distraught. It's something silly, and something that no one else can really understand, but it was important to me. So I did what I always do: whine and moan, complain and fuss. It's an awful thing to do, but it's just how I get out my frustration. Then today, I was in the car with my parents. We were blasting Lady Gaga music, I had Jamba Juice in my hand and a smile on my face, and I had a revelation. Why was I feeling so sorry for myself? I honestly had to ask myself this question over and over again until I realized the answer. Disappointment is truly just a state of mind. Sure I could sulk and feel sorry for myself and spend the next month complaining about how my plans didn't work our perfectly, or I could just stop feeling sorry for myself, and get psyched about all of the things to come.
It's time we stopped our sluggish stupor of self-pity and focuse on the wonderful things that are happening all around us and the even better things to come. There's no use in spending even a minute wallowing in what "could have been". If you can't change it, then don't waste a worry upon it. Maybe give yourself 5 solid seconds of self-pity. For one second, moan that it's not fair. The second second, reflect on how amazing those plans could have been. The third second, lament how whoever standing in the way of getting what you want is a stupid face. The fourth second, shed a silent tear. And then the fifth second, slap yourself and move on with your life.
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