You’re never too old to be disappointed, or too young. In fact, if you are human, plan for it. Reminds me of a story . . .

Many years ago when I was doing a talk show I had the opportunity to speak with a bridge builder. There was a major bridge construction being planned for the state and this gentleman was in charge. I learned more than I can remember about building bridges but one thing came up that I wasn’t expecting. When estimating the costs associated with the project, they factor in something that would have never crossed my mind – death to a certain number of workers. They buy insurance policies for “X” number of workers depending on the size of the bridge.

There was a lot of disappointment at our home last night. The New England Patriots lost in Super Bowl XLII. We weren’t supposed to lose. The experts couldn’t even imagine it. Reality and the New York Giants won. Congratulations!

I got to wondering about the word “disappoint.” The dictionary defines it this way:

Disappoint: “To fail to satisfy the hope, desire or expectation of.”

If words could ever explain feelings, these came close.

We even bypassed hope and desire at our house last night and went right to expectation. We didn’t buy the insurance policy. It wasn’t needed. I’m not sure if it was a real or a Hollywood quote about the Titanic that went something like this:

“Neither man nor God can sink this ship.”

Our ship was torpedoed last night and we sank.

So, how do you minimize feeling disappointed? “We’ll get em’ next year” doesn’t seem to work. In fact, no words work.

I don’t remember where I first heard this quote or who it came from but it seems to fit here.

“If you never lean on anyone, you’ll never be let down.”

This is not to say that we shouldn’t look for support in our time of need. That’s why Mother Nature created the milk of human kindness.

I always look for a lesson from life’s offerings. It keeps my trips to “what if land” to a minimum. The lesson seems to be this:

When we project our preconceived expectations onto others, we deny them their right to be human.

If you don’t allow for humanness, you will be disappointed.

The only thing that let me down last night was my expectations. My team played their hearts out as did their opponents.

All the best,

John

http://JohnMorganHypnosis.com

http://GrasshopperNotes.com

http://cdbaby.com/cd/johnmorgan

http://www.cafepress.com/grasshoppernote/3580301