Disappointment and failure are never happy company. They appear for many different reasons and in many different contexts and they are sometimes beyond our control. They permeate our lives.

Disappointment cam be very debilitating. It weighs you down, can make you doubt yourself, and makes you question what you once felt confident or certain of. It alters, for a brief span of time, how you interact with the world.

I found out recently that I did not make it into the spring musical for the next semester. I was so hoping I would be a part of it, and that I might have the opportunity to share that experience with some of my peers. I looked the cast list up and down. My name was not there. I just felt a weight drop in my stomach. There were so many thoughts that went through, and still go through, my mind about each detail of my audition, the circumstances of the musical, and the conflicts I wrote on my auditiom form. For a while, I know I will be disappointed and feel regret not being able to have been in it. But do you know what I did as soon as I felt that wave of disappointment hit me? I looked at the cast list again, and I pulled out my phone. I pulled up the websites of the local theatres in our city and started looking at the audition dates of their next plays and shows. I used my disappointment to find myself a goal to work towards in order that I might be able to jump back quickly from the sting of not being cast.

It is ultimately up to you how you react to disappointment and where you choose to go from there. It does not matter what part of your life it affects. There are a few relationships I am uncertain of in my life and I do not know how to approach them. I do not know if there is even anything I can do. But, I have decided on a course of action to take so I can be proactive and not depend on anyone else.

Disappointment and rejection sucks. They really do, but they are a part of life. We control our reactions and whether or not we let ourselves be defeated by what we feel. I don't always deal with it the most graciously, but I know that giving myself a goal or something to focus on helps me to move past the bad feelings I have.

So that is what I say to you: when you come across something that is negative or something that just doesn't work out in your favor, think of a way to counteract it. It is not a simple task, but it will certainly help you move forward towards your future.