By: Jasmin Landa

It’s that feeling when you put all your effort into a goal and the result comes back as both a surprise and a disappointment. It’s a feeling that brings you down and saddens you with all its might. It tells you your efforts weren’t good enough and makes it hard to keep moving forward with your head held high and a smile on your face.

I have felt disappointment numerous times, and it feels like there is a barrier that I can’t quite figure out how to break through. I have pushed, pulled and plotted ways to demolish this impediment, but solutions have remained a mystery.

I am definitely not perfect, but I have grown and have not forgotten the people and experiences that have formed my identity. I learn from my leaps in life and I cherish my triumphs. Yet, even with a real identity and the knowledge and wisdom I practice, I endure a lot of disappointment. It’s like a roller coaster: I get thrills, but sometimes it seems I am perpetually falling, and it constantly tests my faith.

When I get that feeling I try to see my life’s journey elevating to another triumph. I begin to realize how much faith can carry me up to my next point in life. Faith is a powerful weapon that gives strength to my internal and external being to keep proceeding forward. Without it, I would be a destitute soul who has given up and settled for what is.

So yes, disappointment is a part of my daily life, but only a small percentage of what influences me. My life is not a sweet symphony of perfection, but one in which I’ve learned, tripped and excelled. Disappointment is vital to my identity because without it, there is no need to find a way to succeed at another level or desire. I want to be the change I want to see in the world, and one day the world will change with me. For now, I will take every outcome or state of mind I’m in as an opportunity to be grateful that I can take this day and turn it into an opportunity.