Learning From Disappointment

Recently I had to give some disappointing news to a group of students. I coach a boys basketball team and there were some players that had to be cut to a lower team. It is always hard dropping players because you can see the disappointment in their faces. They had been trying so hard and wanted to make it really bad, but unfortunately there was just not enough spots for them.

Most of them were young and could try out again next year, so I gave them the following advice:

1. There is always next year – you need to work hard, develop your skills and come back better and ready to make a difference next year
2. In life as well as on the basketball court you are going to get disappointed, it is how you react to that disappointment that determines the kind of person you are. You can walk around saying you will never play basketball again, effectively holding on to your disappointment or you can learn from it and think how can I do it differently/better next time?

Therefore if you are disappointed with something, be it at school or out of school, what are you going to do to deal with that disappointment. The challenge then is to think about something that you are feeling disappointed about and write down why it is disappointing and what you can do about it to learn from or change for next time.

All the best

Andy Strong – Impact Leadership Team