Dealing with disapointments

[Andrew Schreiber]

Holy Thread Bump Batman! [Insert onomatopoeic word appropriate for action]

Either way, I guess it is just as well to bring this up now. Does anyone have any other good ways of coping with disappointments? There are already some great pieces of advice but I am sure there is more out there.

PS: Anyone know how hard it is to look up that onomatopoeia word when you have NO idea how it is spelled?

[Rion Atkinson]

Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber

PS: Anyone know how hard it is to look up that onomatopoeia word when you have NO idea how it is spelled?

To repeat what I have heard my entire life. "Sound it out!"

Honestly I can't help you

On the disapointment note. I get disapointed alot. I finally learned to deal with it simple by stepping back and looking at the whole picture from an unbias point of view. This was my team second year. We were the 16th team picked going into quarters. We lost both matches. While most of the team was sad I was able to holdbit together. These two thoughts kept me together.

1. We were picked!!
2. Our frist year we got dead last out of 48 teams(I think..). To jump from dead last to 16th after seeding in one year was winning enough for me.

Basically what I am saying is bad things happen. But in ever bad thing thereia a lesson to learn. I advise you to step back and search for it. When you find it you will not only find yourself growing. But those who you influence with what you have learned.

My $.02 (of course, being 16 means it counts more like $.01..)

-Rion

[rsisk]

PS: Anyone know how hard it is to look up that onomatopoeia word when you have NO idea how it is spelled?

... Sound it out? yuk, yuk

My wife and I were talking about this, as always she had good advice built from experience.

When we came in way low on the totem pole last year, Dona basically went through the good things that happened during the year with the students, going over them one at a time, looking for input from the team. Then after some of this exercise she asks them if they would do it all over again. They all end up saying yes.

[Chris is me]

"It doesn't matter that you failed, it just means you have to do it again!"

After Atlanta, I went to IRI. I figured if I didn't do well enough to seed there, I should prove my worth at something tougher. When 1714 (surprise) didn't make elims there... well, next year there's a whole host of things to do better.

I don't know what advice to tell you if it's your last year in FIRST though

[Vikesrock]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

I don't know what advice to tell you if it's your last year in FIRST though

The lessons learned from disappointments in FIRST don't stop at robots. If it is your senior year and you don't plan on mentoring any time in the future then you have to focus on how you can apply the lessons you learned to your other activities.

If you do think you might be mentoring in the future then you can record the lessons to review before your next season. Even if you take a year off from FIRST before coming back as a mentor, or even all four to finish up school, these recorded thoughts should still be applicable and helpful to the students on your new team.

[rsisk]

I don't know what advice to tell you if it's your last year in FIRST though

What is this last year in FIRST that you speak of???? I don't understand

I think mentors and team leaders experience disappointments like the students do. Maybe we handle it differently, try to keep a positive attitude in front of the team, etc.

[BrendanB]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

I don't know what advice to tell you if it's your last year in FIRST though

No one should have a last year in FIRST.

I would tell them to mentor a team and help them succeed by either "winning big" or even just helping them learnmore is success in FIRST!

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by BrendanB

No one should have a last year in FIRST.

I would tell them to mentor a team and help them succeed by either "winning big" or even just helping them learnmore is success in FIRST!

Haha, even though this is a little funny, there's plenty of people who let FIRST burn out in themselves. I'm not totally sure if I want to continue myself. Its a tough choice, and even tougher to maintain I would imagine, but there are definitely those who leave it all behind.

[BrendanB]

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

Haha, even though this is a little funny, there's plenty of people who let FIRST burn out in themselves. I'm not totally sure if I want to continue myself. Its a tough choice, and even tougher to maintain I would imagine, but there are definitely those who leave it all behind.

I want to continue in FIRST somehow, but definitely not as involved as I am right now. Not wise to burn out in college, focus on your edumakatione.

[Brandon Holley]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

I don't know what advice to tell you if it's your last year in FIRST though

The lessons of FIRST are for more than just FIRST, theyre for life. Falling short of expectations is something that will happen everyday in your life. By learning to channel those feelings of disappointment into desire you'll see a lot of success in your endeavors.


-Brando