Moving Past Work Disappointments

Let’s start with a very common scenario almost all of us have faced. You get interviewed for a job. You get hired and join with a certain set of expectations, a year into this job then boom, disappointments hit at its worst. Each one of us takes a job at a company with some expectations that we build based on what we learn from the interview or based on what we aim to achieve at this job. We get all hyped up, work so hard, and give our absolute best and when we don’t receive what we expected, our motivation flies out of the window, our productivity drops, and we begin to keep an eye on the market for other jobs.

Disappointments can happen overnight in a single incident or based on a series of actions we were not prepared for such as:

 

• You didn’t get the job promotion you were promised or you are left with no room or opportunities for growth in your position.

• You are denied your rights such as annual leaves.

• Favoritism is what runs at your workplace.

• Your opinions and suggestions are barely taken into consideration and you have no input in anything.

 

It only makes sense that these disappointments would pull you back but you need to remind yourself that disappointments are the breed of both high expectations and unkept promises. So how to move past these disappointments?

1. Learn from the experience. While disappointment is a tough emotion to handle, it comes with a lesson for you to learn. Now the incident has passed time to look at it from every anger to understand whether this disappointment came from unfairness or a promise that wasn’t kept or you feeding your mind with false hope and high expectations that no one gave but yourself.

 

2. Set realistic expectations. Now that we’ve mentioned expectations, you should set realistic ones. For instance, it is not a smart idea to expect a promotion 3 months into your new job and when you don’t get it, you feel disappointed. Focus on realistic, achievable goals instead, and be smart with understanding timing.

 

3. Stand for yourself. If you have experienced unfairness in your appraisal or have been denied your rights, learn how to stand up for yourself and communicate your concerns. However, how you do the talking makes all the difference. Make sure you choose the right timing and environment for having such a conversation with your boss and deliver your message in the most professional way.

 

Remember, no one can give you a one-size-fits-all all manual to how you can handle such situations, instead, you learn from experience. Observe whether disappointments are just occasional one-offs or a toxic work culture because sometimes the best way to manage disappointments is to set yourself free from the environment that triggers them.