You can’t really avoid disappointment in business. But I figured you might be searching for a title like this. And I do believe there are ways you set yourself up so that when disappointment comes you won’t be totally deterred from continuing forward.
Because that’s really one of the keys to life. We don’t lose anything. We just run out of time. And even when we run out of time we can still consider our lives to be a success.
Here are some of my thoughts on disappointment when it comes to business.
1. Optimism vs. Faith
The Stockdale Paradox is something Jim Collins and his team discovered in their research into successful businesses. They discovered that successful business leaders had a mix of faith and realism. Jim Collins then heard about Jim Stockdale and read his book about surviving as a prisoner of war during Vietnam. They met and discussed the experience. Stockdale talked about how those that suffered most were the optimists. They kept telling themselves that only good things would happen. They put deadlines on these good things. And when something didn’t occur by a deadline they were crushed.
Stockdale, on the other hand, said that he kept faith that a positive result would eventually come while still maintaining discipline to live in the current reality. He was a prisoner of war. He did what was necessary to survive and he focused on that. All while keeping his faith in a better tomorrow.
Living in this paradox is key to business. If Jim Stockdale can do it for eight years in Vietnam, we can certainly do it for awhile no matter what we’re going through in our businesses.
2. There Are Many Right Answers
Sometimes we get too focused on one particular outcome. I remember reading about David Duval, one of the best golfers of all time. He seemed set on winning one of professional golf’s four majors. And when he did it he mentioned that on the airplane on the way home he had the thought of this is it…
It’s good to have goals. It’s good to have dreams. These can help drive you forward and to grow. In life and in business.
But be open to different outcomes. Sometimes you can start off on a path in business toward something you think is the right answer and along the way you discover something else. It’s not good or bad. It’s just different. And if you approach it the right way it might be one of the many right answers out there.
3. Two Is A Pattern
People do change. But often they don’t change. That’s not good or bad. It’s just the way it is. We all are born with certainly personality traits. We all develop habits and routines and as we get older these become more engrained in our lives.
It’s good to have compassion with the people you work with. But you have to understand your key values with your business. If you value promptness above all else and someone continues to be late, it’s probably past time to let them go.
It’s not good for you or for them. You have conflicting values and the situation likely will continue unless you end it.
I’m a fan of the saying that two is a pattern. If something negative happens twice, it’s probably time to make a change. Because it will likely continue to happen.
4. Find Fulfillment Now
What makes you fulfilled or happy right now? You might not be at the level of success that you ultimately envision, but it’s important to be happy with where you are right now.
Unhappy and disappointed people have often been that way during all of the stages of their lives. They often think about the future and what will make them happy. But what they don’t realize is that they will probably continue to move the finish line to their happiness.
That’s a recipe for disappointment.
On the other hand, you can move the finish line closer to you. In fact, just put it behind you. You’re already past it. You can be happy with what you’ve done and where you are and still continue to grow.
An example would be Tiger Woods. He went through some big time struggles with injuries and pain. He was able to get to a point where he could live a regular life again. He said that he was happy with all that he had accomplished in golf. And then he would go on to win another Masters tournament.
You can still accomplish great things while being happy with where you are already.
5. Action > Words
Sometimes it’s easy to get caught in the trap of talking about doing things. It can feel good to talk about something. We talk about starting a business. That’s a hit of dopamine and it feels really good. We talk about a change we’re going to make to the business. That feels really good.
We can do this over and over and it feels good most of the time. But throughout the process of talking there are still moments where we look at the results. And results don’t lie. If you’re not making progress on something you’re probably going backwards. And talking doesn’t move the needle at all.
If you’re looking to avoid disappointment, it’s better to identify a goal, work it backwards to routine tasks and then get to work. You don’t have to talk to others about it. You just need to get to work.
6. Dreams vs. Wishes
A wish is something you get from a genie. A dream is something that can drive you achieve something. One of the biggest realizations of my life came when I wanted something and figured out that I could make it happen with my own action.
I didn’t need to rely on others.
It’s okay to have wishes. But don’t rely on them to the point where you become disappointed when they don’t happen. You can certainly welcome good luck and fortune. But don’t sit back waiting for it to happen.
7. Think Small
It seems that sometimes the challenges in our own lives are a little too close for comfort. So we turn outward and look at the big picture. We look at the world of people and start thinking about how the world can change for the better.
That’s an impossible task.
The possible task is to think small. It’s to focus on the things you can do to make your life better. It’s about focusing on the small things you can do to make the people in your small circle better for knowing you. It’s difficult to feel disappointed with life or business when you’re helping a friend accomplish something. Or when you’re cleaning your home to make it uncluttered.
Conclusion
Disappointment often comes from the way we expect the world to be. That can definitely occur in business. We start thinking about what we feel the business should be. We start having expectations that aren’t based in reality. Consider what your expectations are and how they relate to your feelings of disappointment. And hopefully the thoughts here can help if you’re feeling a little lost and disenchanted with your company.