Repeat Performance

The curtain goes up and there you are...in front of the same audience, the same situation or the same set of circumstances in which you'll never receive a standing ovation.  It isn't that you didn't try, it isn't that you didn't practice and it certainly isn't that you didn't care.  To the contrary, you care too much.  In life, we often put ourselves in a spot, all with the best of intentions, only to be disappointed by the outcome.  This can be in the form of friendships, work situations, (insert your example here), etc.  We try so hard to do our best...and we do...only to be left scratching our heads wondering what went wrong.  The definition of insanity is doing something over and over expecting a different outcome, but getting the same one you've always received.  The good news is we are all insane.  The bad news is we are all insane.  To put it another way: if you repeatedly walked into a Pizza Hut trying to order a steak, but kept getting pizza, you'd eventually move on to a restaurant that serves steak...right?  It would make no sense to keep going to the pizza place to get steak.  Yet, in day to day life, we put ourselves in situations in which we are never going to get our desired outcome or "the steak".   Maybe you have a friend that is just impossible but you keep going back to make that friendship work.  Maybe you have a boss that no matter how hard you try, just doesn't see your worth.  Maybe you end up in situation where you know you're going to have a bad time but think this time will be different.  In very few instances like these, little will ever change to meet your level of satisfaction.  Again, you are well intentioned, but you are wasting your time.  Although it is natural to feel disappointed by certain outcomes, especially when you've expended a great deal of energy to make improvements; you are to blame.  Yes, you are to blame.  Stop trying and just move on.  It is extremely difficult to do and painful at times.  Believe me, I learned the hard way!  However, if you keep ending up disappointed, at some point you have to stop allowing that disappointment to happen in the first place.  You have to stop setting yourself up for failure.  When the curtain drops the next time, exit the stage for good!  By leaving the inevitable disappointments behind, you'll find new roads that will allow you to drive forward instead of the circles you once did.  As with anything in life though, just make sure bow out gracefully when you do leave the stage!  I'll see you on the bigger, better and more appreciative stage! :)