Effective Tips for Dealing With Disappointments in Your Career

It is inevitable to feel disappointed at some point in your career. Didn’t get the deal you have worked on for a year? Lost the promotion you had been hoping for a couple of months now? Or simply being tested by a colleague who has been on your neck for quite some time? All these are just examples of the scenarios everyone experiences at work.

Don’t let other people tell you that you’re overreacting about a career disappointment

As a disclaimer, we must say that no workplace is perfect. More often than not, people feel disappointment or sadness at some point in their careers. As much as our lives are filled with joyous moments, tough times like these provide an opportunity to showcase your abilities, and allow your leadership skills to shine through.

With that said, it is extremely important to know how to handle times like these. You don’t want to sulk into bitterness or let the disappointments push you to the edge. Instead, use these moments to learn your weaknesses and work towards improving them so that you’re better prepared for tough circumstances in the future.

It’s Not a Permanent Feeling

First, accept the fact that what you’re feeling is valid. Everyone has faced the struggled that you’re going through right now, and no one has the right to tell you that you’re overreacting. Let it sink in that everything happens for a reason, and, as cliché as it sounds, when one door closes, another one opens for you.

However, while you are acknowledging that this is not out of the norm for workers, know that this too shall pass. This phase in your career here to stay, it’s just temporary and you’ll eventually see better days again. While you have the right to break down, isolate yourself from friend and family during this difficult time, you also need to look at the brighter side of things and realize what really matters –  which is learning from situations and moving on.

Like with a heartbreak, moving on is definitely not easy. The better thing to do is focus on the opportunities that lie ahead of you. In short, shift your attention to what will make you a better person and be busy with that. More than this, beating yourself up by self-blaming will do you no good, you’ll just sulk more and feel worse about yourself.

See The Bigger Picture

Next, see the bigger picture. Chances are, you are not thinking straight when you are engulfed with a series of emotions, usually after finding out about a disappointment. Everything tends to be hard at first and what you’re feeling will blur your thought process.

When facing disappoint in life, look at the bigger picture and analyze why you’re feeling that way.

Once your emotions have subsided and you’re a bit more rational, take a hard look at your disappointments and why you’re feeling that way. This will help you see what needs to be worked on, if you can use a different approach to solve a problem and what’s the lesson learned from the situation.

Always remember that you are better than your disappointment. You are definitely bigger than the situation you are facing, and in keeping that in mind, you will be able to rise from the ashes and turn the failure into your shield for the next challenge.

Reflect On What’s Real And Not

Lastly, be sure to reflect on what’s real and what’s not. Being filled with so many emotions can make you feel like everything is worse. Instead of thinking that the universe is conspiring against you, try to see if you’re jumping to a conclusion.

If your boss has chosen another coworker over you to be in charge of a project, don’t immediately assume that the boss hates you or that the chosen colleague is in connivance with the higher-ups. Be happy for them and see which of their desirable traits you can pick up in the future.

The best way to recover from a setback is to evaluate yourself and along the way, you will be able to learn how to handle disappointments

In connection with this, don’t be too harsh on yourself. Avoid looking down at yourself for something you have no control of. The best way to recover from a setback is to evaluate yourself and along the way, you will be able to learn how to handle disappointments. Knowing these tips might help you face disappointments in your career and use them to your advantage.