No one wants to be a disappointment to other people that is why as much as possible, we do what pleases others. Who does not want approval, praise and appreciation? Some would say they do not need it, but it helps in boosting our spirit. However, some people become so obsessed with these that they fear about doing something that will cause disapproval and rejection. For this reason, they only take actions if it will ensure success or just do not act at all to be safe. They refrain from taking risks. What they do not realize though is that their inaction also causes disappointment to others. Their inactivity may be mistaken for laziness and lack of ambition and motivation to succeed.
People will get disappointed with you no matter what you do – that’s a fact. There will always be people with expectations you can’t reach, no matter how hard you try. Reasonable or unreasonable, they each have a set of standards and they use it to gauge you and the others too. If you fail, they will have something to say. If you do not act, they will still have something to say. Truth is, even if you succeed in what you do, they will still have something to be disappointed about. So why limit your actions due to your fear of disappointing people? When even if you fail or you succeed, you will benefit from it. If you do not succeed you will learn lessons, and if you succeed you will enjoy the fruits of your labor. If you cannot avoid letting them down, is it not better to disappoint them by trying and failing than by not doing anything at all?
If you’re looking for a job and you don’t ace an interview, you could either decide you failed at that interview, or you succeeded in learning something to help you in the next—which might be an even better opportunity than the one that just past. As the Dalai Lama said, “Sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.”