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Among the many virtues and positive qualities of humankind, persistence, perseverance, determination, and good ol’ grit are some of the most important ones. Ever!

They allow us to push forward after failure. And to move towards our goals and loftiest ambitions, step by step, even when we feel like we’re utterly lost. However, in some cases, no amount of persistence is likely to change the fact that some things simply won’t get better.

What follows is a collection of very open and honest posts made by redditors who shared the things that consistently leave them disappointed, yet they keep trying to do them anyway. From hobbies and jobs to relationships, aspirations, and beyond.

There’s a lot of bittersweet motivation here, but we hope you enjoy it, dear Pandas. When you’re done reading the posts, tell us a bit about the things that disappoint you, but you still keep at them.

This post may include affiliate links.

#1

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On Trying to explain to people that animals are sentient and shouldn't be exploited for human pleasure.

lttlprncssbtt , pexels Report

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#2

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On Trying to make friends.

I understand Im not everyones cup of tea, but it hurts being the outcast sometimes.

I keep being friendly though.

GozerDaGozerian , pexels Report

Final score:
194points
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#3

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On Politics. I always vote, but the sh*tshow never gets any better.

beccapenny , pexels Report

Final score:
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Naesil
Naesil
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I always do the voting advice thingie to see which candidate has closest values to me, they never get elected..

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Redditor u/es_mo’s thread on r/AskReddit went viral and got over 50.2k upvotes in just a week. They started up an important discussion about how our expectations don’t always match up with reality.

But the underlying conversation also touches upon the power of the human spirit—that there is always hope. Hope that our determination will let us succeed at that which we so desperately want.
#4

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On Me and my wife trying to get pregnant... took a year for our first and that constant negative test was brutal.

We have been trying a year now for a second to the same disappointment. Until last week

Sarnick18 , pexels Report

Final score:
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Foxxy (The Original)
Foxxy (The Original)
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's awesome, congrats. I know this feeling all too well. Took more than 6 years and one pregnancy loss to fall pregnant with my son.

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#5

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On Trusting other people.

PackageIllustrious90 , unsplash Report

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lenka
lenka
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ooof. This one hurts. Boundaries, not barriers are the answer.

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#6

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On Trying to lose weight.

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Thaddeus Thompson
Thaddeus Thompson
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Modern living is designed to separate you from yourself and then overwhelm you to the point of no return which causes existential pain that manifests in addictions to things that shut up the voices in your head. Who has time to be healthy? We've got to keep the economy healthy.

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A rule of thumb to keep yourself content (or possibly even happy) is to manage your expectations. Generally speaking, we tend to have slightly unrealistic expectations of what might happen. While some of us are more pessimistic, others are overly optimistic.

And when those expectations don’t match up with reality, we can get disappointed. If we consistently fail to manage these expectations, that disappointment will continue. Unless, of course, we try out different strategies to try and reach our goals, and actually manage to break the cycle of failure.
#7

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On Trying to keep in contact with my one sided friendships.

sydthefkdown , pexels Report

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Sum Guy
Sum Guy
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I stopped... I'm not saying this is the solution for everyone, but it started feeling sad everytime I tried to call

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#8

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On Thinking my job will get better.

itzFinners , unsplash Report

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#9

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On Being an adult. It Sucks

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Stephanie IV
Stephanie IV
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The alternative sucks more. Be an adult. Survive. Your parents need that.

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Whatever the case might be, it’s best to keep expectations low. If you actually manage to get what you want, you’ll feel elated, ecstatic, and all-around wonderful. However, if there’s any deviation from what you constantly daydreamed would happen, you’ll feel a deep sense of longing and sadness. You might even start questioning your skills, even if the end result is objectively quite good.

As such, it’s best to accept things as they are. Instead of hoping that there will be a moment that everything will fall into place and be ‘perfect,’ you should strive to enjoy what’s around you. Gratitude for what you have and who you have in your life will likely make you happier. And it’s a much better alternative to being disappointed for years.
#10

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On My faith in humanity.

gmoney-0725 , pexels Report

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#11

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On Being normal.

I was diagnosed ADD, ADHD, Bipolar 1, and clinical depression at the age of 10. My whole life ive been told things i can or cant do because im bipolar. Or because i need medicine.

My entire middle school year through half of highschool was spent in a medically induced coma caused by my meds constantly making me so drowsy that i passed out all the time.

It got so bad that the principal informed all teachers to send me to the nurse, with a passing grade, to sleep. For entire school days. This is where the bullying started with rumors about drug use.

People thought i smoked weed. All through highschool i was seen as a pothead cause i was always so exhausted. Id have rocks thrown at me by people. Cinstant bullying and name calling. I kept to myself as much as i could by this point.

The few friends i had would often want nothing to do with me because i was so starved for affection from years of bullying that it made me needy. I dont blame them for wanting to keep a distance.

My whole life i begged to some sort of diety to either fix me or kill me. Sometimes i still do. Ive looked into getting a lobatomy to force some sort of cranial reset and hopefully the connections in my brain would fix themselves. Thats the dream.

Ive been in and out of therapy since the age of 15. And i only got a few mental meditation techniques from it. But other then that? Im probably worse now at the age of 30 then i was at 15. This is partly due to the texas mental healthcare system being a rotating door of garbage.

People will often tell me things like there is no normal. That normal is over rated. That im fine the way i am.

To those people i fart in their direction because there is a normal. Theres a normal of people being able to be happy without drugs or without some sort of clincal assistance. There is a normal where you dont think about horrible dark things.

I want that normal. Ive never felt it. And each time I try to get it, I get disappointed.

Know that i am safe. And you dont need to be a douche with that reddit mental health message. This was me seeing a chance to vent some pain.

Thank you for joining my TED Talk.

Chonkasaurus30 , pexels Report

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martow
martow
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i have ADHD and ADD too and i am 24. it has totally ruined my life, my family are assholes who never bothered to get me medication or therapy they just said i am being childish and i will outgrow it. i dropped out of university at my third year, tried to commit suicide multiple times, i am severely depressed and also an alcoholic because that is the only thing that makes me feel better. i truly understand you and i hope things get better for you. i recently got a new job and i am hoping ill manage the pressure because i know i am not normal.

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#12

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On Growing indoor plants.

TruthOf42 , unsplash Report

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Greg Anderson
Greg Anderson
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My wife has been bringing up doing this also. She's just new at the whole gardening thing & neither of us are even sure she has a green thumb in order to do such things but I am willing to support my wife in any of her, safe & healthy lifestyle changes or ideas. Maybe someone with more experience on this topic could message me and give is some pointers on getting started on a project such as this?!

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#13

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On Trying to make new friends in my 40s.

some_yum_vees , pexels Report

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lenka
lenka
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is really hard. I have friends from school who I will love for life but then we moved to a new country. It has taken me 10 years and I have 1 friend.

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#14

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On Dating.

kalmatar , pexels Report

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Nadia Monteira
Nadia Monteira
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I stopped dating 5 years ago. Happily single and enjoying my life. I'd like to meet someone but dating is so artificial and fake and ultimately not how I want to meet the man I will love and who will love me.

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#15

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On My wife. She left me in October, and I keep hurting myself by trying to get her to come home. We have two small sons together. I am lost.

Chingaderus_ , pexels Report

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#16

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On Trying to enjoy my free time like I used to.

ICODE72 , pexels Report

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elijo sintetico
elijo sintetico
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The last thing I would do in my spare time is ride a bicycle. Luckily I can do like my kitties and stare at a wall for hours.

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#17

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On My self esteem.

DA_LEMONADE_MAN , pexels Report

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Foxxy (The Original)
Foxxy (The Original)
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is extremely difficult to get over. Been trying for over 20 years.

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#18

Getting through the day....it's just draining

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#19

Voting. Doesn't really matter who gets elected, there are still wars in the middle east, massive government debt, continual erosions of freedom, poor getting left behind, military industrial complex thriving, stupid policies enacted, politicians helping each other and their friends instead of the populace, etc. etc.

weird_al_yankee Report

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Thaddeus Thompson
Thaddeus Thompson
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's theater for us as we plow on forcibly yoked to the economy giving assholes super yachts

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#20

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On Trying to have a baby. Five pregnancies in the last year and a half. One made it to 16 weeks, and I was over the moon. Then there was no heartbeat, and I used medication to produce the most tiniest, most perfect baby girl ever, which I buried in my front yard under some flowers. Sometimes I go over there and say a prayer that in an alternative universe, we are together. IVF is around 20,000 paid up front with genetic testing that I need, so I’m at an impasse and just sad as hell. I just rejoined Reddit because I just needed to say this somewhere anonymously.

andbutsowhat , pexels Report

Final score:
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LeighAnne Brown-Pedersen
LeighAnne Brown-Pedersen
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As a infertile woman..having (or not) a child does not define me. And being childless is ok. Say that out loud!

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#21

Trying to save money! Holy sh*t its next to impossible.

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Final score:
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Bill
Bill
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Try making your own money. If you fail at forgery at least your living expenses will get covered for 10- 20 years.

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#22

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On Interviewing for a good paying job

SixPenceTheRicher , pexels Report

Final score:
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DennyS (denzoren)
DennyS (denzoren)
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had an interview, two actually late last year. Really thought I did well, no call back. Oh well, back to mediocrity.

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#23

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On Life.

politicaldan , pexels Report

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#24

Finding someone with a similar libido who also sees it as an emotional connection.

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#25

The justice system

PhoebeTheCyborg Report

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Felice Coles
Felice Coles
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In the US, you get the justice you can pay for. Rich people=lots of consideration. Poor people=shunted carelessly through the system.

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#26

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On Ordering fries from home. They always arrive cold.

dizaster11 , pexels Report

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Pungent Sauce
Pungent Sauce
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Air frier. They’ll come out better than new. This is the only non-depressing easy-remedy post on here so far…

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#27

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On My relationship with my parents.

traizer-blaizer , pexels Report

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Foxxy (The Original)
Foxxy (The Original)
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I kept trying with my dad but after years of trying and telling him how I feel with no effort on his part. I gave up. Whist we still kinda have a relationship, the only time I really see him is on special occasions.

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#28

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On Getting sober.

guntmuff , pexels Report

Final score:
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Agamemnon Padar
Agamemnon Padar
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Trying to stay dry for now 8 years. Made it so far, but it is a daily fight. The biggest challenge is the fact that alcohol is everywhere, even in movies and books.

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#29

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On Making friends and being around family

kooc98 , pexels Report

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HarriMissesScotland
HarriMissesScotland
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My male sibling is a spawn of Satan and has been disowned by the family and his former friends. My sister, who is my complete opposite, finally came back into my life, and we became close, or so I thought. About a month ago, it was discovered that she had a massive abdominal mass that could be cancerous. Long story, short, she decided to cut me out of her medical decisions/records, and have a man she hadn't seen in over 50 years take over. I was at the hospital for the surgery, but she wanted him with her, not me. I haven't seen her in a week, nor do I know the results of the surgery. She has also decided to cut her best friend of 46 years out of her life. I am hurt, but I am furious, as well! He also threatened to kill her cats.

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#30

People Reveal What 30 Things Keep Disappointing Them But They Still Haven't Given Up On My job as a teacher.

newenglandredshirt , pexels Report

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Note: this post originally had 78 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.

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