Appointment

Disappointment

It’s interesting how adding just 3 letters can change a word’s entire meaning.

An appointment is anticipatory, meaning you are expecting something to happen at a particular date and/or time in the future. So you have a story in your head about something that could or should happen, essentially hoping that all the powers and randomness in the universe would comply with your wishes, and boom, it would all come together for you.

And then when it doesn’t, you experience disappointment.

But disappointment is an event just like an appointment.

So how long should you experience it for?

Should it be equivalent to the duration of the event, less, or more?

Or should it even exist?

Disappointment is complicated because it can evoke a number of other emotions and feelings, and can linger for a long time if you let it. You can also bring disappointment back to life after it has subsided by reliving or thinking about a past event.

There is an antidote, a cure if you will, for disappointment.

It’s acceptance.

Now, this might sound a little controversial because it sounds passive. But it’s not. In fact, acceptance is a very active and conscious act. Acceptance is the act, or almost the art, of facing reality the way it is and not how you hoped it would be.

Acceptance might sound hard to practice, but it’s only as difficult as you want it to be. In this moment, you could say to yourself that this is how things are right now. No judgment, it’s just reality. It doesn’t mean things will always be like this, but for just right now, this is it.

So the next time you find yourself disappointed and your emotions are swirling, try to practice acceptance. At first, this might feel difficult. But don’t be disappointed, just accept it.

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