it seems like our emotions can't really handle magnitude -- a very embarrassing moment on an important trivial thing feels like a bigger deal and gets more thought than something quite big and high potential that's going right.

There's probably no easy answer to this -- we're hardwired to flag certain emotions and situations as more important than others. The brain's natural configuration seems to geared towards minimizing loss, holding on to what we've got, avoiding the unfamiliar and unknown, coming to answers rather than questions, and avoiding confusion.

And it can't handle magnitude. If you're reaching out for partners or distributors in business, and get 40 negative reactions (that feel bad) and one new company joining up with you, it could make a huge positive difference. But the brain can't handle it; in fact, the 40 negative reactions might each individually cut a little harder than the single win feels good.

Yet -- that's how you win, by doing things with minimal downside and shrugging off the bad feelings, while gaining high upside things. There it is, that's the way. Ain't easy, though.