FRUSTRATION

We often keep our frustration private, or come off as negative when we are unable to keep our frustration private. It is not a word people enjoy hearing about.

But we all get frustrated at times. If we are STRIVING, we will get frustrated.  Stretching can be uncomfortable. If we want to IMPROVE, there is a good chance a trigger for what and why we want to improve is a FRUSTRATION, either one of our own or someone else’s and our improvement helps relieve that frustration.

I sometimes think of what I do as “mental martial arts”. In such an approach you want to use your opponent’s energy as force to meet your objectives. But the toughest opponent is myself. I’m usually not opposing another person--I’m usually opposing my own inertia, (perceived) inadequacies, or FRUSTRATION. How can I use that opponent’s energy (that frustration) to my advantage?

If I get frustrated, I have learned to think of it as two choices - change my circumstances or change my perspective – IMPROVE externally or IMPROVE internally. If I get frustrated with the morning commute I can IMPROVE by changing my commute route (moving, taking alternate transportation, taking an alternate route) or by changing my perspective (reflecting on the freedom I have to live and work where I want and recognizing the commute provides me value that is worth the cost, and a “mental break” to think differently).

The challenge is figuring out which is the better path - changing circumstances or changing perspectives. Is anyone else frustrated about it? Would I expect someone to share this frustration if I explained it? If others share the frustration, it sounds like a substantial opportunity to IMPROVE circumstances (Perhaps I don’t just change my own commuting route, but work with others to change the traffic laws or come up with a new way of commuting, and many people benefit from telecommuting). But we can’t change everything all at once, so I only have room for a few frustrations at a time. There are many things to be passionate and excited about, and many things to be thankful for. Do I continue to be frustrated, or can I reconsider my perspective?