What If It Works Out Better Than You Imagined
What if it works out better than you imagined?
Joy was always meant to be part of the journey.
sent by Krystal Chryssomallis | May 4, 2026
"Joy was never meant to come at the end.
It was always meant to be part of the journey."
Hi Friend,
Don't get too excited. Don't get your hopes up. Don't get ahead of yourself.
We say these things like they're wisdom. Like managing our excitement before something can disappoint us is the safe, measured way to move through life.
A friend called me last week to tell me she'd gotten a second interview for a job she really wanted.
Before she could finish the sentence, she said — but I don't want to jinx it. I might not get it.
And I heard myself say: let’s be excited anyway. You got the second interview. You worked so hard to get here and that in itself is something to be celebrated — the wins along the way matter, not just the finish line.
She appreciated it and certainly felt uncomfortable celebrating what she felt was such a small win.
And then I sat with something uncomfortable.
I also rarely give myself that permission.
I often manage my expectations or dismiss a win or withhold excitement. Which is funny, because those who know me know I'm very expressive — I love celebrating, and cultivating joy and finding reasons to celebrate life. And yet, I've caught myself saying let's see how it goes… who knows what will happen… I'll wait until the contract is signed.
So lately I've been asking myself: what is that serving?
Here's what I've come to understand about it.
Dulling your excitement doesn't actually protect you from disappointment. It doesn't soften the blow if things don't work out. What it does is give you the illusion of control — the ability to say see, I knew it. I've been bracing for this.
But you aren't avoiding hurt. You're avoiding joy. You're using the anticipation of loss as a way to feel in control of something that was never really in your hands.
And in that situation, no one wins. You've already paid the cost of the outcome you were trying to avoid before anything actually happened. You just never got the good part.
What we're really looking for isn't protection from disappointment. It's the self-trust to know we can move through it if and when it comes.
That's what allows you to be fully present in the excitement — not because you're certain of the outcome, but because you know you can handle whatever follows.
—
We’ve confused excitement with a story about how things will end. And when the story doesn't come true, we treat the feeling itself as the mistake — like we shouldn't have let ourselves go there.
But excitement about this moment isn't a claim about the future.
The second interview happened. The project that clicked into place happened. The conversation that surprised you, the small thing that finally worked — those were real. The outcome doesn't erase them.
—
So when I notice I'm holding back, I've started asking myself one question.
Am I protecting something that isn't ready yet — or am I protecting myself from being seen wanting it?
One is tending. You're quiet because the thing needs more time to become itself. The idea isn't fully formed. The project needs more room to grow before it meets other people's opinions. You're not hiding the excitement — you're protecting the thing you're excited about. The ancient Greeks understood this so deeply they had a word for it — kairos — the right moment for something to be released into the world. There's real wisdom in waiting for that.
The other is hiding — staying quiet because if you let yourself feel it — and share it — and it doesn't work out, someone will have seen you hope. The embarrassment isn't really about the outcome. It's about having shared your excitement as though you already knew how the story ended.
Both feel like caution from the inside. But they come from completely different places.
Fear tends to feel contracted and closed. Wisdom feels more like holding something gently.
If you get honest and still enough, you usually know which one it is.
—
Waiting for the big win means missing all the joy along the way.
The second interview. The email that finally came back with good news. The idea that finally found its shape. The conversation that reminded you why you started.
You don't have to broadcast it. But don't take it from yourself either.
Letting yourself feel it isn't getting ahead of yourself. It's self-trust — the inner knowing that whatever comes next, you can handle it. And who knows, maybe it will all work out even better than you imagined.
The joy was never meant to come at the end. It was always meant to be part of the journey.
—
What small win have you not let yourself celebrate yet — and what would it feel like to just let yourself enjoy it?
With love,
Krystal ♥️
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Dose of Good is a weekly newsletter for people who want to live with more awareness, connection, and intention.
Each issue includes one distilled insight, one real-world example, and one grounded question to carry into your week.
A moment to pause.
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