Past experiences provide clarity during difficult times

Dear Carolyn: How does one balance expectations between reasonably high and realistic? I’ve had a few disappointments lately that hit me fairly hard — a promotion dangled and then delayed, a budding friendship that’s running hot and cold despite my best efforts, a new skill I’m learning in my free time that’s been much harder to grasp than I’d thought.

All of it together is just bad timing, but it did make me think I have a pattern of getting my hopes up too high because someone said something positive, then getting discouraged too easily when things stall or get off-track.

Is this an actual thing? Is there a context for it? My life overall is good; I really can’t complain. But this bit just bugs me. — Discouraged