What Were Your Disappointments of the Past Year?
"Everyone experiences disappointments, but not everyone learns from them. By consciously reflecting on what did not go as planned or expected, you can identify patterns to break and pitfalls to avoid. This helps you make better choices in the future and emerge stronger from setbacks."
Take some time to look back on the past year and make a list of your biggest disappointments.
Reflect on the past year and write down the moments when things didn’t go as expected, or when you felt disappointed in yourself or an outcome.
The following questions may help you:
- Which goals did I not achieve, despite my efforts?
- Which obstacles or challenges turned out to be harder to overcome than I expected?
- What opportunities did I miss?
- What expectations did I have that were not met?
- What made me unhappy?
- What assumptions did I have about myself, others, or a situation that turned out to be false?
Examples:
- "I was not hired for a job I was hoping for."
- "An important relationship ended."
- "I missed an opportunity because I hesitated."
In the next assignment, you will use this list of disappointments to create your own ‘recipes for disappointment.’ This will help you understand what holds you back and how you can approach things differently in the future.
Tips:
- Look at disappointments across different life areas: Relationships, Health, Education, Faith, Work, Money, Leisure, and Environment.
- Consider the different roles you have played over the past year and where you felt you fell short.
- Think not only about major failures but also about small daily disappointments that impacted your well-being or motivation.
