1 . My husband has worked in Ecuador for a year. Having heard about the low _________ of living, mild climate and delicious produce of the country, I was _________ to move there with him. I believed I would find a _________ and life would be easy there. However, when I arrived in the capital Quito, I was _________ disappointed. I didn’t like the food there, and our _________ house was dirty and cold. The _________ thing is that even after a month I still couldn’t find a suitable job. I felt my life totally a mess, so I _________ to move back to the UK.

I thought I was the most _________ person in the world. However, I soon heard of other people’s disappointments. A friend’s wedding was _________ and another had lost her dream job and a neighbor had been __________ with cancer but was still hoping to travel around the world. I looked at people who were fighting real __________ and felt inspired by their strength. I became more mindful of the things I had taken for granted. In the UK I got a job that brings me much __________. My family were healthy and though __________, my husband and I were much in love.

A psychologist friend told me the difference between regret and disappointment. Both are the result of __________ expectations. However, regret __________ something that we believed was within our control, whereas disappointment arises from events __________ our control. We can’t control what disappoints us, but we can control our __________ to it.

Now, I am filled with optimism by __________ myself of what really matters and taking action to change the disappointments. I feel __________ and inspired, and I know I can __________ everything.