{"id":1345,"date":"2014-05-31T22:43:30","date_gmt":"2014-05-31T22:43:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/areasontosmile\/?p=1345"},"modified":"2014-05-31T22:43:30","modified_gmt":"2014-05-31T22:43:30","slug":"how-to-avoid-disappointment-and-feel-at-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/areasontosmile\/2014\/05\/how-to-avoid-disappointment-and-feel-at-peace.html","title":{"rendered":"How to Avoid Disappointment and Feel at Peace"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Be<\/a>
Be careful!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but thought about it. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking. Separate them from the situation, which is always neutral. It is as it is.\u201d
\n-Eckhart Tolle<\/p>\n

On a recent episode of Rise UP with B. Dave Walters<\/a>\u00a0 we talked about how to avoid being disappointed, and how to feel at peace, along with how to release the pain of the past, let go of past hurts, how to access the true power of your mind, and much, much, more!<\/p>\n

So today, I\u2019d like to give you the simplest and most powerful tool possible to avoid disappointment, but first I\u2019ll give you some clues as to what it is:<\/p>\n

\u201cBlessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.\u201d
\n\u2015Alexander Pope<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you expect nothing from anybody, you\u2019re never disappointed.\u201d
\n\u2015 Sylvia Plath<\/p>\n

\u201cI find my life is a lot easier the lower I keep my expectations.\u201d
\n\u2015 Bill Watterson<\/p>\n

\u201cLook. I have a strategy. Why expect anything? If you don\u2019t expect anything, you don\u2019t get disappointed.\u201d
\n\u2015 Patricia McCormick<\/p>\n

\u201cKnow that everything is in perfect order whether you understand it or not.\u201d
\n\u2015 Valery Satterwhite<\/p>\n

\u201cThe two hardest tests on the spiritual road are the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what we encounter.\u201d
\n\u2015 Paulo Coelho<\/p>\n

\u201cIf someone is able to show me that what I think or do is not right, I will happily change, for \u00a0I seek the truth, by which no one was ever truly harmed. It is the person who continues in his self-deception and ignorance who is harmed.\u201d
\n\u2015 Marcus Aurelius<\/p>\n

\u201cLife is pain, this is the first Noble Truth.\u00a0 The root of all pain is attachment, this is the Second Noble Truth.\u201d
\n-Buddha<\/p>\n

Yes, the secret is this: If you do not expect anything, then you will not be disappointed by what life brings to you. \u00a0On the surface, this might seem at best pessimistic, and at worst impossible, but I promise you that it can be done!<\/p>\n

Think about the last thing that you were upset about; a minor annoyance, or even something bigger.\u00a0 Now ask yourself: Was what actually happened *bad*, or simply not what you thought was going to happen?\u00a0 Boiled down to their essence, very few things are \u2018good\u2019 or \u2018bad\u2019 in and of themselves, they just are how they are, and we make them mean what we make them mean.\u00a0 But more often than not, the meanings we attach to things are only causing us harm. There\u2019s a story of a man with two daughters, one owns and umbrella shop and asks her father to pray for rain.\u00a0 The other makes pottery for a living, and asks the father to pray for sunshine\u2026which is the \u2018right\u2019 answer?<\/p>\n

If there is a person that you\u2019ve had a disagreement with, ask yourself: Were your expectations reasonable?\u00a0 Did you clearly express to the person what it is you need, and why?<\/p>\n

Here is a test: If your best friend was in the exact same situation, what would you say to them?\u00a0 As you know, human beings have an INFINITE capacity for self-deception, and looking at a situation like it\u2019s happening to someone else can often make it easier to see.<\/p>\n

So, the next time you feel disturbed by something, stop yourself and ask: What\u2019s really happening here? Is this situation actually<\/i> \u2018bad\u2019 or am I hung up on something? And is that something I can release right now and go with the flow?\u00a0 And if not\u2026what can I do to change it?<\/p>\n

Since, as Plato said \u201cthere are two things we should never be upset over: What we can change, and what we cannot.\u201d<\/p>\n

What do you think? Feel free to comment down below!<\/p>\n

You are great, and I love you!
\nAnd if you love me back, click ‘share’ up at the top!<\/p>\n

B. Dave Walters Writer, Life Coach, and Talk Radio Host<\/p>\n

Find out more about me:\u00a0http:\/\/about.me\/BDaveWalters<\/a><\/p>\n

Ask me anything:\u00a0http:\/\/formspring.me\/BDaveWalters<\/a><\/p>\n

Pages I support:
\nJesus and Buddha<\/a>\u00a0— Interfaith dialog<\/p>\n

Gnostic Theism<\/a>\u00a0— Religion and Spirituality for the 21st Century (Join the Movement!)<\/p>\n

Love One Another<\/a>\u00a0— A group for the coolest Spiritual people on the Internet!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but thought about it. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking. Separate them from the situation, which is always neutral. It is as it is.\u201d -Eckhart Tolle On a recent episode of Rise UP with B. Dave Walters\u00a0 we talked about how to avoid being…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":450,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[100,37,47,55,80,116,35,29,81,38,40,31,46,110,28,41,43,48,45,78],"tags":[3,44,34,13,12,11,36,6,14,23,26,25,51,24,5,56],"class_list":["post-1345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-100","category-change-2","category-communication","category-emotions-2","category-family","category-friends","category-getting-over-it","category-happiness","category-healing","category-hope-inspiration","category-law-of-attraction-2","category-love-2","category-love-yourself","category-nlp","category-peace","category-positive-thinking","category-relationships-2","category-spirituality","category-tainted-love","category-worry","tag-b-dave-walters","tag-breaking-up","tag-breakthroughs","tag-change","tag-emotions","tag-gnostic-theism","tag-hope","tag-law-of-attraction","tag-life-coach","tag-love","tag-peacelovemoney-com","tag-psychology","tag-rejection","tag-relationships","tag-rise-up","tag-stress"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Avoid Disappointment and Feel at Peace - A Reason to Smile<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Avoid Disappointment and Feel at Peace - A Reason to Smile\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cThe primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but thought about it. 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