The Uses of Disappointment

Disappointment is not proof that you aimed too high. It is proof that you aimed at something real enough to lose. The alternative — never risking the loss — is not safety; it is a smaller life.

What matters is what you do with the gap between what you wanted and what arrived. Rage, grief, and honesty are all available. Only the last one tends to lead anywhere useful.

Let the disappointment be data, then put it down.