Dealing with Disappointment (or not)

I thought this was going to be it! Finally, a breakthrough.

Things were going so well. Everything seemed to be lining up. The years of prayer, persistence, patience, planning, progress… the door looked like it was opening for what I had been waiting for. I started to see how the pieces of the puzzle were being put together… how the ups and downs were about to make sense.

Then, it didn’t. It all came to a screeching halt. The news I didn’t expect to hear. I left holding my head up high only to let it all out in a heap of mess and tears in the car as I drove away.

Why was this happening? It didn’t make sense. It didn’t line up with anything I had been doing, believing or sensing.

Have you been there too? Maybe you’ve felt like you were taking a step forward only to receive the news that put you two steps back. Maybe it has been difficult for you to get out of bed in the morning too?

How do you deal with disappointments? When life interrupts your plans and progress, yet again?

Here are three things I’ve learned when I’ve been down so I didn’t stay out:

1. Focus on the wins, not the losses (especially the small ones). It would be so easy to be and stay discouraged when I only talk and think about the things that go wrong. I had to learn to celebrate the wins, especially the small ones (which takes getting used to!)

2. Plan for real life (have realistic expectations). Real life brings ups and downs. Rarely does a path stay straight. Most of the time there are twists, turns, and unexpected detours, (but we really should expect the detours). If we expect the unexpected, it helps us keep a realistic perspective so we aren’t thrown into a downward spiral when things don’t go as planned.

3. Know your season (is this a distraction or a rerouting?). Sometimes a disappointment or unexpected turn is exactly what is needed for us to get where we need to be. Figure out what this twist is being used for!

If you are in a season of disappointment and are tempted to quit, I understand. It’s ok to not be ok all the time. But you can choose to not stay there. Give yourself a period of time to grieve, mourn, or re-adjust… whatever is needed, but then get up and keep going!

I have just the thing you need to help you keep going! A free Don’t Quit Survival Kit, with 17 pages of soul-care, self-care and dream-care goodness! My subscribers get free access to this and more HERE!

Don’t quit!

Hugs and Prayers, Tiffany