10 Things To Do When People Disappoint You

Recently, I became disappointed in some some folks, I know, big surprise right? After all, that's what folks do most often. It's an inevitable part of the human experience. While I was still licking my wounds,  I came across an article on CBSNews.com written by Mark Jaffe (Feel free to read the entire article by following the link)  It made laugh and I recognized which one I used. As you read through them, think about which one(s) you use and which ones you recognize in others.

1. Throw a tantrum. Sometimes people don't fathom how serious the situation is, or how badly they've failed you...until you scream loudly. Forget abstractions. Show them in real time by acting out your rage and sense of betrayal. They'll thank you for the clarity! Don't forget to hurl a few extra-spicy epithets while you're at it. Preparation and rehearsal are key to successful execution. Practice in front of a mirror or a friend, if you have one. For me, after reading this article, I did #10

2. Pout. Perhaps you were told otherwise as a child, but most folks really love this. It's adorable...and effective! Just pretend that you're Mommy's little prince or Daddy's little princess and see what happens. You can be angry without having to justify yourself or even admit to any feelings at all. No one gets their wishes met more quickly than the pouter. Stay the course and they'll eventually come around.

3. Condescend. Another time-honored strategy that will have your intended recipient dizzy with contrition. Superior is good; haughty is even better. Speak to the person as if they were mentally impaired. Ask for explanations and then respond by saying, "I don't understand. Can you explain it again?" Interrupt whenever possible. Make 'em squirm, back 'em up against the wall and squish 'em like helpless bugs. Then see how hard they try to win back your respect.

4. Get even. Warm or cold, revenge is a delicious treat. Cook up a batch and watch the remorse eat away at your tormentor. There are so many different ways to inflict pain and humiliate...tantalizing choices all. You can punish your victim in secret or out in the open for everyone to see. Experiment and have fun with it!

5. Criticize. Whether it's directly to someone's face or behind their back, this classic response will never go out of style. The more ridiculous they look, the more vindication you'll feel. Brush up on the insults and let them fly.

6. Get stoned. Have a drink, smoke, snort or capsule. Numb those frazzled nerve endings and simply dull the pain. No one appreciates you anyway, right?

7. Pontificate and intellectualize. It doesn't matter what you say. What matters is that you can define everything on your own terms. Keep talking until their ears bleed.

8. Ignore them. A personal favorite of mine, nothing sends a clear message like putting on the big chill. If you don't acknowledge someone, they cease to exist. Problem solved!

9. Keep your head down and do your job. No commentary required. That's life.

10. Get over it.

Pleasing People?

I have always known, but the fact was recently hammered home to me, that no matter what you do, you cannot please all of the people all the time.

Some of you know that I own an Internet Radio Station. We promote Independent Artists by only playing music from them by them and we do not charge them for this service. However, we do charge them if they want to have their work in heavy rotation (our charge is nominal compared to other stations). But I digress. 

 I have used a service for submissions since I started the station. This is a service that I feel protects the Artist and their work. When I signed up to use them, it were free for Artists to submit to my site and in the 18 months WDGP has been in existence, I have never had 1 Artist complain about them, until now. I don’t know if this person cannot read, has low intelligence, thinks the world owes them something or is just a miserable bitter person.

This person, supposedly an Artist, sent me an email that said 

“No you don’t charge to play the music, you just send people to a submission site that does.”  

 

That was all. When I read it I became concerned, since no one else had mentioned this to me before. I shot off an email to this person, giving them another way to get their music to me. (I got no response.) 

I thought maybe the submission site had changed their terms on me and since I hadn’t received any notice of change in service, I went to the source.  There were no changes to the terms of use so I called them. No nothing had changed. Now I was a bit disturbed. 

Perhaps this person was just a bit confused. I sent another email, explaining that they were wrong, the service does not charge people to submit to my station, however, they do charge if you want to submit to other stations as well. They offer different packages at different prices, depending on how many stations the person wants to submit to.

I think this is fair. They do the work for you, keep track of which stations accept your music and send you emails for your own records. It is only fair that they be compensated. I invited the person to submit their music, if it was up to par, for consideration. You see I was now suspicious of the motive in sending the email in the first place. I had gone above and beyond, offering this person a direct link to me to submit, with no response at all.

It seems my suspicions were correct, judging by the response I got to the last email, saying that it was strange that I had to check with the service and they didn’t have time to sort through such a confusing site to find a free way to submit and no, they would not be submitting to my station. BIG lost for me right? NOT!  Hundreds of Artists have had no trouble finding out how to submit to WDGP. The proof is in the submissions I have received. 

But it is funny how one adverse response can give you pause. Am I not clear, do I need to change something in my print? I have spoken to several folks about this and they all say to just let it go, I want to, but this person is out there possibly spreading negativity about my station or about me or about the service I am using. I am told that they can’t do me any harm since I am established and have many Artists that would disagree with this person’s negative reaction. Still, it bothers me, so I decided to write about since there is really nothing else I can do and then let it go.  Am I correct that this is just bitter person, maybe not even an Artist, just someone with nothing better to do then aggravate me? What say you?