Disappointment Doesn’t Define You

Join us for a heartfelt conversation about navigating life's disappointments and finding resilience through faith. Our hosts share personal experiences of supporting loved ones through challenges and discuss how to remain strong when life doesn't go as planned.

In this episode, we explore:

• How to handle disappointment when people you care about struggle
• Finding strength in faith during difficult times
• Understanding that life has different seasons for everyone
• The importance of appreciating relationships and creating meaningful memories
• Why perspective shifts after experiencing significant loss

This uplifting discussion reminds us that while disappointments are inevitable, they don't have to define us. Through prayer, gratitude, and recognizing what truly matters, we can weather life's storms and emerge stronger.

#Faith #Resilience #LifeLessons #Disappointment #Spirituality #PersonalGrowth #Mindfulness

About the host:

Jennifer Beckford is the founder of the Nicholas Stewart Project, a loving mother, and a believer in the power of community development and its resilience.

For as long as she can remember, Jennifer has been passionate about helping others. Throughout her adult life, she continues to give her time in the service of helping others, even when, on occasions, it seems impossible!

Jennifer says: “I feel compelled to do at least one voluntary task each week”.


Follow us:
Facebook: @nicholasstewartproject
Facebook: @thetrumpetsounds
LinkedIn: The Nicholas Stewart Project
Instagram: @_thensp

Transcript

Introduction (0:00-0:53)

Host 1: Greetings, greetings my friends. How are you today? We are alive despite the circumstances of life. God be praised. So, um, blessings to the most high. Blessings, blessings to the most high. Thank God for another journey. Hope you have had a wonderful week, my friend.

Host 2: I have. It's been busy, but I'm here.

Host 1: Yes, today um I just want to welcome everyone who has been listening and tuning in on our conversation. It is a good day, it's a blessed day. We are alive, we are well despite the circumstances of life.

Main Topic Introduction (0:53-1:07)

Host 1: And today I just want to um... earlier on the thought that came to me was about when you feel disappointed, what do you do? What do I do?

Exploring Disappointment (1:07-2:57)

Host 2: I think, I think just listening to the word disappointed, 'cause it can come across as quite a negative word, right? But it doesn't have to be.

Host 1: It doesn't have to be.

Host 2: And I think there's been, there's been points in my life where I've been disappointed that maybe, you know, when you see people—it could be like clients, it could be people that you love and you know, or friends, family—and you feel like you're watching and you're like, "I have so much hope in them," and you're like "They can do it, they can do it, they can do it," and then they don't do it. And then you have that feeling of disappointment for them, but then because you're part of their life, you feel that disappointment because it's coming from a place of love, right?

Host 1: Absolutely, yes. And I could relate to that as well because I've seen people who struggle and I know they have the potential. I know they have got the potential, and somewhere along the line, life has knocked them. Not given them a—sometimes it's not even that hard knock, but because of where some people are at, the slightest wind... It's just like you look at it, it's just like you have a plant.

Host 1: Yeah, nice looking plant and it's blooming, but just this wind just come along and just blow it down, tilt it. Cannot stand.

The Analogy of the Wind (2:57-4:09)

Host 1: It cannot stand the wind. And so it is in life, there are different things that come to knock us down, but always, please always, always...

Host 2: I'm Jennifer. I was going to say, I'm like, every time I'm like, "What's today going to bring?" Know I'm ready. My body's ready.

Host 1: Yeah, it's—that's a very good way of looking at it. And that is why I also believe that when we get up in the mornings, we give thanks to the most high. And we know—because I know that I cannot lead my life as how I would like to. I used to depend on myself, but then when I realize that I'm trying to depend on myself, I get into pure—when the wind come, I can't withstand it. But when I ask my maker to go before me, no matter what challenges come, even when I'm feeling sometimes the wind come harsh, you know, but then...

Host 2: Exactly. And rock me there, so rock me here so, and have to hold on on something strong.

Finding Strength in Faith (4:09-5:20)

Host 1: So hold on for the almighty and say "Hold me Lord, hold me," you understand? So that is what we have to do, and it's because there—we will always have disappointments. We—there's somewhere along the line we will feel disappointed.

Host 2: Definitely.

Host 1: Because in this life we have got our aims, we have got our objectives, we have got our dreams, we have got our visions. Sometimes we make our plans, sometimes some big plans, and we take them out, you understand?

Host 2: Yeah.

Host 1: We have some big, big plans. Sometimes they're not even realistic, but because we are humans and because we want the best for ourselves, we want the best for our children.

Host 2: Don't even mention the children part.

Host 1: Because I'm telling you, each parents, each parents want the best for their children. And so we fight tooth and nail for them.

Host 2: Yeah, even though sometimes they might not appreciate—

Host 1: Exactly, exactly. Because they don't see, sometimes they don't see what we are seeing.

Different Perspectives on Crisis (5:20-6:53)

Host 2: No, they don't. And then because we love them... You know, before we started, we were talking about crisis, right? And, you know, God has built everyone differently. And everyone, you know, human beings have gone through their own life experiences, you know, childhood experiences, so many, so many different things.

Host 2: So when I do—although we talk about disappointment, I do remind myself that, you know, not everyone's like me. Not everyone can bear so much. I'm not saying "bear so much," but my—as I said to you and Jennifer and your level of crisis as well—my level of crisis is when my adrenaline kicks in, is death. It's not, it's not even about money. It's not about—

Host 1: That's right.

Host 2: You know what I don't and do don't have. And yeah, but my level of like adrenaline and that wind blowing on me and me zoning out is when death, you know, when it's dangerous.

Host 1: I would also agree with you, or I could say mine is similar to you because I'm not mindful of earthly things.

Values and Priorities (6:53-8:52)

Host 1: I'm not. You see like how you have—if people have like a "Oh my car" or "my car" or "my house" or "my this" or "my that." I'm not that kind of person. No, as you say, like death and that kind of thing. I'm, I'm passionate about the things that really makes life meaningful.

Host 2: Yeah.

Host 1: That's what I'm passionate about. If I can help somebody in, in whatever small way I can, I'm passionate about that. And I have lost—I have lost things along the way. I've lost people, I've lost friendships, and that—when it, when I lost friendship or family, it's—I feel disappointed.

Host 1: I'm not disappointed with God, but I'm disappointed that I no longer have that friendship. But then I have to appreciate life for what it is. There were times I couldn't come to terms with it, but as I grow older, as I pray more, I understand that life is a journey and there are things—there are seasons. And somewhere in Ecclesiastes says that there is a time and season under the sun for everything. There's a time to laugh, there's a time to cry, there's a time to pluck up, to pull down, and to build.

Host 2: Hello.

Embracing Life's Contrasts (8:52-9:59)

Host 1: So even recently I was looking at it, and I was—and that's how I treat disappointments.

Host 2: But it's so true because you can't have happiness without sadness. You can't have everything without experiencing nothing, you know.

Host 1: Absolutely right.

Host 2: And, and even like through as, as I said, like our crisises and how the wind blows us is, is danger or death. But even through those experiences, over time and, you know, like healing, healing, healing, praying, it opens your eyes up to life, right?

Host 1: Absolutely.

Host 2: And I, I don't take—like I don't take time for granted anymore. I get up early in the morning, Jennifer. I listen to the birds. I, I hear them talking, and I make time for people I love, and I spend time. I take memories, maybe too many memories all the time, but because that's all you got, that's all you leave behind, you know.

Appreciating What We Have (9:59-11:05)

Host 1: Once sometimes we don't appreciate one another. We don't appreciate one another enough. And when I say that, I'm speaking to myself as well.

Host 2: Right.

Host 1: It's only when people are gone away from us, whether in sickness, whether in death, whether they move away, or there's a change—there's a change that, that, that relationship is no more, that closeness—and then we start to wonder, we can reflect. I said, "Oh my god, I really missed this."

Host 2: Well, that's why that, that's why the memories um are so important, right? 'Cause as I, as I, as I said to you, like firstly, we take things for granted. We take time for granted. We can take people for granted. And um, you know, so all the drama, any kind of drama is just not worth it.

Personal Story About Memories (11:05-12:17)

Host 1: That's right.

Host 2: And yet, as I said to you, yesterday was Mother's Day. It was their dad's death anniversary. It's been 9 years, and I, I was sitting in the car with my son who, who's a spitting image of his dad, right? And he, and my son started to play some songs, and he played—he played one song that their dad used to sing to me, right? And sing and rap to me. And it, it was just like—it was a lovely song, but it just took me back to those memories, you know. Not that I'm there anymore, but the memories of stories of the past, right?

Host 1: Of course.

Host 2: And, and, and when I was listening to the song, all I could vision is just him singing it to me, 'cause you just sing to me or he'll sing with me. And, and, and that's a gift of a memory, right? You take along—

Host 1: Of course, of course.

Host 2: And, and I can tell my kids, I can tell my grandchildren about it. But we just take things for granted, but you know, life, life—they say life is written. When people—it's time for people to go, it's time for people to go.

Host 1: Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. Remember you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Be blessed.