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There is a scene in a comedy movie where a man opens a safe, expecting to find millions of dollars worth of diamonds. Yet, he finds only an empty safe. He fires several bullets from his gun and yells, "Disappointed!" Sometimes we all feel that frustration and would like to yell, "Disappointed!" We are told, "Don't get your hopes up." However, we do all get our hopes up and have an expectation that things will turn out fine.
Often our expectations are not realistic. We know not to expect that a blind date will look like a favourite movie star. However, we hope, anyway. Children get disappointed more often because their expectations are often unrealistic. Parents may say that there is very little money for Christmas, but the child may still expect that special toy. On Christmas morning, Mum or Dad has to deal with a disappointed child in tears. Disappointments are a part of life and a part of growing up. Take these steps to minimise disappointments: - be honest
- avoid breaking promises
- if you have to break a promise, explain the reasons why
- let others know what you expect of them
- let others know what they can expect from you
- do not say "maybe" when you know you mean "no"
If a person has too many disappointments, he or she may not develop trust in others. Those who have had too many disappointments in one area may stop being open to further hurt, such as when poor students drop out of school, or the heartbroken stop dating. If you feel like too many disappointments have affected your ability to trust, you may benefit from counselling. Article #6718 Copyright (c) 2002 McKesson. All Rights Reserved. |
