Something has happened which has made you utter to yourself, “Why am I such a disappointment?” Or perhaps, someone has give you that label, a disappointment. If you clicked on this article, I am here to give you some perspective.
Maybe you are in fact a disappointment, as according to Merriam Webster, “one who disappoints.” Or perhaps there is something more to it that you can’t see through your pain.
To disappoint: to fail to meet the expectation or hope of
Someone, somewhere in your life, has hoped that things turned out a different way. Perhaps even you have wished that your life trajectory was on a different course. Dictionary definitions notwithstanding, it is hard to really call you a disappointment. I am (pretty) sure that you are first and foremost human.
You, you human being you, are not truly a disappointment. How can I say that so strongly? Because that is a static label, and you are a dynamic being. Every day you do different things, think different thoughts, dream different dreams. Your hopes and expectations continue to evolve, and so do everyone else’s.
To call yourself, or anyone else for that matter, a disappointment is to freeze them in time. It is to judge them on one phase or moment in life. The harsh truth is that certain things have not met the expectations set before you. But does it really stop there? There are other places in your life where you are doing just fine, or maybe even excelling. And there are so many expectations and hopes you have met. (I mean don’t you also hope to take your next breath right after the last one? Check! Expectation met.)
Despite the pain inflicted by the word disappointment, the heart of the matter is, there is someone out there who is hoping things went a different way. Take the learning you need from this situation and make life course adjustments if necessary. If you need/want to start living a different way to meet those goals, start working towards that. Or maybe it’s time base your self-assessment on some other scale. Set your own new hopes and expectations. Move the bar and judge yourself based on the entirety of what you want out of life.
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