Stay motivated by coping with frustration.
Frustration is a dream killer. The cause of most self-destructive habits and the gateway to hell. Frustration has caused people to give up on life; it destroys ambition, causes depressions and breakdowns. It is probably the greatest scourge of our century.
Frustration is an emotional response to circumstances where one is obstructed from arriving at a personal goal or when expectancies are not met. It should be noted that there is a close relationship between frustration and anger. Frustration without anger would be a deception; with deception we may have sadness but no anger.
The number one cause of frustration is wishful, immature and illogical thinking. It is caused by holding the belief that life owns us something. Life is a gift in itself and anything positive added to that gift is a bonus. That may sound chocking but that’s the way it is.
Frustration occurs when, instead of being grateful for what we were given, we get angry because of what was withheld. That is caused by what has been called the cardinal sin of envy. Feelings of envy are something that we acquired as toddlers but should be discarded as we grow and mature. No one who is filled with the feeling of gratitude ever falls prey to frustration. At least not for a very long time. There are setbacks and deception. There are moments when a person may feel overwhelmed and sad. There are challenges and there are obstacles. But those are not viewed through the eyes of frustration, resentment and anger.
No one enjoys hardships. However they are part of life. There are no free lunches. If we want anything out of life, we must work for it and we must accept the fact that they have to be proportional to the challenges. If we want to dance, we have to pay the drummer. Thinking that we want to get away anything without paying the full price is to invite what we need the least, frustration.
Frustration, in almost every case, is a self-inflicted disease. A disease that is caused by exaggerated expectations and a loss of the sense of gratitude. Thankfully it’s a disease that can be cured. It can be cured by a shift in paradigm. It’s done by focusing on what we have and not on what we believe that we should have. It’s done by focusing on opportunities and not on roadblocks. And, finally it’s done by accepting the fact the efforts to overcome any obstacle have to be proportional to the size of that obstacle.
Tony Robbins said, “Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more.” If we can find it within ourselves to live by those words, frustration will only be an obscure and distant concept.