Enttäuschung (pronounced ent-TOY-shung)
following quoted from Inc.,
"Emotionally Intelligent People Use a Brilliant German Word to Turn Disappointment Into Motivation," by Justin Bariso, Feb. 25, 2024,
https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/emotionally-intelligent-people-use-this-brilliant-german-word-to-turn-disappointment-into-motivation.html as of 9/4/2025.
Maya Watson was thriving at Netflix. Her team was crushing it. Everyone told Watson how great she was, that she was knocking at the door of the most senior level of the company. Yet, years went by. Plenty of promises and no action. . . .
Then, one day, Maya ran into one of her mentors, a well-respected VP at the company. Seeing that Maya looked frustrated, he asked if she was OK.
“No, I’m not OK,” Maya replied. “What more do I need to show? How much longer do I have to wait?”
Maya’s mentor chuckled. Looking her dead in the eye, he said:
“I have more than 200 people in my organization. It’s not statistically possible for me to think about their development or road map for their life and career. You have to take matters into your own hands or you’ll be waiting forever. No one is coming to save you.”
Maya stood there speechless.
“He was absolutely right and I couldn’t believe I never saw it that way until that moment,” says Maya. “I have always believed that frustration comes from a gap between expectations and reality. It set me free.”
That conversation set Maya on a new path. Within a couple of years, she left Netflix. And less than two years after that, she had co-founded a company and was working–-and living–-on her own terms.
All of this because Maya was able to finally see reality. She was able to “remove the illusion.”
This story reminded me of a . . . brilliant German word with a fascinating meaning.
The word is Enttäuschung (pronounced ent-TOY-shung).
Enttäuschung is officially translated “disappointment,” but there’s a deeper meaning. . . .
Disappointment, as defined by Oxford, means “sadness or displeasure caused by the nonfulfillment of one’s hopes or expectations.” . . .
The word Enttäuschung literally means:
Ent(fernen) = Remove
Täuschung = Illusion
Remove the illusion.
In other words, we often feel disappointment when the illusion of our expectations is removed, and we are forced to face reality. But this feeling can prove useful if you learn to harness it effectively. . . .
“‘Negative’ moods summon a more attentive, accommodating thinking style that leads you to really examine facts in a fresh and creative way,” writes [Harvard psychologist Susan] David. “When we’re overly cheerful, we tend to neglect important threats and dangers. … It’s when we’re in a bit of a funk that we focus and dig down.” . . .
You can change the relationship you have with disappointment. It doesn’t have to be saddening, or frustrating, or paralyzing.
You can make it motivating. Liberating. Empowering. . . .
Use that newfound knowledge to help you make better choices–-decisions grounded in reality. . . .
The illusion is gone. Now it’s time to act.
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