Often we think frustration is a sign that we've failed or that we cannot do something. Can you learn to embrace frustration as a signal that you are working on something great instead?
Great post Dave and I appreciate the included video.
I had an interesting experience with frustration recently writing my latest new song. I was sitting in the quiet of my cabin with my guitar chords and a few lines wondering where it might go when my dog started barking incessantly off in the woods but close enough I could not not hear it and I thought, “geez, I wish I could stop her” but she’s a guard dog just doing her job and I knew there was no way I was going to talk her out of what she had going on. So I came into acceptance about it, both the dog and my frustration in that moment…..thinking I needed something to change, Ha!. Yep, there you are Frustration. Once I came into acceptance I was quickly able to shift and chose to just listen to her and find something I could appreciate or like about her barking. Next thing I knew I had the next line for my song! That barking dog became a gift, a spark for creativity and I knew when I put her in there it was going to be a great song. Well, I think its a great song….which is all that matters, right.😉
Amazing! Thanks for commenting Allie! Amber and I also have a barky dog that can send me to the roof when the delivery driver comes down our street. I will have to channel your example here this weekend :)
Nice post, Dave. Important to frame these emotions not as roadblocks, but road signs.
I used to have epic tantrums. Now my toddler has them. I suppose frustration (and the intensity with which I experience it) is just part of who I am. But what I'm still learning is how to handle frustration. How to cope, bend, twist, dodge, push back, dance, breathe, or relax in the face of the storm. For a long time I used my body to throw myself into a raging fit. Then, I think, I learned to concentrate that into the force of hitting something. I still do that from time to time. Later, I learned to numb the emotion with books, movies, video games, or just my imagination. Hopefully I will learn to ask what's underneath the frustration (as you say: what do I care about so much?) and transform that into creative work. Still working on it!
Thanks Ben, yes, it's like instead of trying to get rid of frustration, it's like asking ourselves to write/create alongside my frustration and maybe even use the energy there as part of the rocket fuel to push forward or try different moves.
Numbing is checking out and avoiding the unpleasant. Sometimes we cannot really understand our frustration and so getting underneath it is impossible. So... an alternative to understanding frustration might be asking: Can we at least accept it as a signal that we are onto something we care about and therefore carry on rather than quit, check out, avoid?
Great post Dave and I appreciate the included video.
I had an interesting experience with frustration recently writing my latest new song. I was sitting in the quiet of my cabin with my guitar chords and a few lines wondering where it might go when my dog started barking incessantly off in the woods but close enough I could not not hear it and I thought, “geez, I wish I could stop her” but she’s a guard dog just doing her job and I knew there was no way I was going to talk her out of what she had going on. So I came into acceptance about it, both the dog and my frustration in that moment…..thinking I needed something to change, Ha!. Yep, there you are Frustration. Once I came into acceptance I was quickly able to shift and chose to just listen to her and find something I could appreciate or like about her barking. Next thing I knew I had the next line for my song! That barking dog became a gift, a spark for creativity and I knew when I put her in there it was going to be a great song. Well, I think its a great song….which is all that matters, right.😉
Amazing! Thanks for commenting Allie! Amber and I also have a barky dog that can send me to the roof when the delivery driver comes down our street. I will have to channel your example here this weekend :)
Nice post, Dave. Important to frame these emotions not as roadblocks, but road signs.
I used to have epic tantrums. Now my toddler has them. I suppose frustration (and the intensity with which I experience it) is just part of who I am. But what I'm still learning is how to handle frustration. How to cope, bend, twist, dodge, push back, dance, breathe, or relax in the face of the storm. For a long time I used my body to throw myself into a raging fit. Then, I think, I learned to concentrate that into the force of hitting something. I still do that from time to time. Later, I learned to numb the emotion with books, movies, video games, or just my imagination. Hopefully I will learn to ask what's underneath the frustration (as you say: what do I care about so much?) and transform that into creative work. Still working on it!
Thanks Ben, yes, it's like instead of trying to get rid of frustration, it's like asking ourselves to write/create alongside my frustration and maybe even use the energy there as part of the rocket fuel to push forward or try different moves.
Numbing is checking out and avoiding the unpleasant. Sometimes we cannot really understand our frustration and so getting underneath it is impossible. So... an alternative to understanding frustration might be asking: Can we at least accept it as a signal that we are onto something we care about and therefore carry on rather than quit, check out, avoid?