How to Handle Disappointment Without Losing Your Peace

By Mary R. Dittman, M.B.A.

One of the hardest parts of life is learning how to deal with disappointment.

Maybe the promotion you wanted went to someone else.

Maybe the relationship you were hopeful about never went anywhere.

Maybe you made plans, prayed prayers, and worked hard, only to watch things unfold in a completely different direction.

We all know life isn't always going to go our way.

The problem is that disappointment has a tendency to linger.

We replay conversations.

We analyze decisions.

We wonder what we could have done differently.

We keep revisiting the situation, hoping we'll discover the missing piece that explains why things turned out the way they did.

The longer we stay there, the more disappointment grows.

Before long, a single setback can turn into discouragement, resentment, or even despair.

Over the years, I've learned that disappointment is inevitable, but suffering over it for months or yea...