dealing with disappointment

I remember when I felt so much hope that I would win the spelling bee. When I competed in it and lost I felt such disappointment I made a vow to never get my hopes up again. I didn't understand that disappointments and defeats will happen in life. Athletes who compete and lose in championship games feel the agony of defeat. But they use the memory of this painful feeling to inspire them to work harder next time so they can be victorious. They learn that it's possible to take a positive out of a negative.