Disappointment, don’t let it ruin your day

Disappointment is always a bit tricky to deal with but best not let it ruin your day or dwell on it for too long.

Of course we were all disappointed when England did not win the World cup rugby on Saturday but hey we got there and being in the final was just amazing. And it gave the whole nation hope. I was in the local at 8am Saturday morning and most of the village turned out to watch, we all had  a few beers and a cooked breakfast and the pub was decked out in red and white flags and balloons. It was a great fun despite the result.

Also disappointed that Arsenal lost on penalties against Liverpool last week but hey ho, Dan in the office was happy, so not all bad.

In recruitment we face a lot of disappointment and on a daily basis. Endless applications from candidates who do not have the right skill set or experience, candidates who are unsuccessful in their interviews, prospective clients who ignore your calls and emails.

I have  a few candidates who are always disappointed, the job, the team, the accommodation. I have one who I am just about to place for the 4th time in 3 years. Never happy. I also worked with a colleague who is on her 3rd job this year and her 5th in less than 18 months! That’s job hopping to the extreme but tells me that no matter what, they will always be disappointed.

We all hit rough spots in life but its how you deal with them that counts. If you are an optimistic person and have  a positive outlook, disappointment is always short lived. You move on and do not dwell on the negatives. Research shows that people with high EQ deal with disappointment the most easily.

I know that I am always annoyingly positive but I have honestly enjoyed every job I have ever had. When I was at college I worked at the weekends for  a bloke selling hot dogs, I did Glastonbury a few times and the motor show and a few other events. Pay was cash in hand about £25 and we always had a good laugh, always smelt of onions though.

I used to work for  a promotion agency and used to always take any job so that I would get the good gigs too. Unless you took the crap jobs you wouldn’t get offered the good ones like the Grand prix. I worked at Silver Stone wearing a boiler suit and heels drinking champagne and eating canapes all day,  then I would be at the local co-op promoting turkey sausages for Bernard Mathews, standing all day cooking them while trying to persuade innocent shoppers to try them while my mates would come in with slices of bread to make a sausage sarnie.

I once worked at Asda in Nuneaton  promoting pretty polly tights, wearing a Santa outfit and giving out vouchers. This I didn’t mind at all until I had to go to the staff canteen for lunch and they all pissed themselves laughing when I walked past (smiling but crying inside).

Working in health clubs most my life, we used to have all sorts of issues but you just dealt with them. In the City, the market is 95% corporate with  a few local residents thrown in.  There were always complaints and in the clubs I ran and where the membership were the highest were the worst. “The cotton buds are not wrapped individually, its so unhygienic” or “the coffee (which was free) was not as frothy as the day before” or “my bath robe is frayed” and “I don’t like the body lotion, it smells weird”, it was Molton Brown FFS. Are you crazy?

The pool was either too cold or too warm, the music too loud or quiet, classes and gym too busy but that’s the sign of a successful health club. You just learn to accept that you cannot keep everyone happy all of the time. And some people just aren’t happy people.

Disappointments and frustrations that are part of our daily lives? But they are just temporary set backs. Here are a few cheesy quotes to help you along the way:

Every cloud has a silver lining

Don’t make  a mountain out of  a mole hill

Don’t worry, be happy

Keep your chin up

Stay close to people who feel like sunshine

Namaste