Keys to Frustration.

A special someone told me that frustration will always show me or teach me something. Now at that time I was frustrated so I clearly ignored it, but the more I process it, the more profound it seems. There is not one person on this planet who has not been frustrated. Everyone has wanted something to go their way, and if it didn't, frustration clearly starts to set in. Frustrated with traffic, with people, with a job, with a marriage, with yourself, the list can go on for decades. Unfortunately if you listed all the things in your life that make you happy, majority of people's happy list will be a lot smaller than the list of all the things that frustrate them. Frustration is that feeling where you cannot find the right puzzle piece and there are too many pieces to look through so you just want to give up. We are natural complainers. We are oversized children that throw fits in different ways. We want to be right. We want things to go smoothly. We want everything to happen when we want it to happen. Well I guess I can only speak for myself. But that voice is in the back of my head now. "What is causing you to be frustrated?" "If you slow down and be patient, will you still be frustrated?" "What is this frustration teaching you about yourself?" I am writing this post for me. Most of my posts are encouragement for others, but today this is for me and I hope it helps anyone else that wants to master their frustrations.

FRUSTRATION IS FOR THE BIRDS. IT DOES NOT SERVE ME OR MY SPIRIT. IT IS SELFISH. IT IS UNNECESSARY. IT IS WEAK.

Welp. Writing that out is extremely convicting, but necessary. It is a great thing to admit that the way I am feeling is out of alignment to my true self. I will not always be perfect, but to be aware is the requirement. I am aware today that my past frustrations showed me about myself. They made me stand in front of the mirror and see that I am not allowing things to be. I wasn't allowing things to flow and allowing the mechanics of life to just happen. When I go against the flow, there is resistance. That resistance is the frustration. So now that I know what frustration is, what is the opposite emotion or state of mind I SHOULD be in?

Bringing myself back in balance:

• Frustration is weakness --> I say weak because I picture a rock at the bottom of the ocean that allows the waves to go to and fro. It is not moving. It is not shaking. It stays put as the life around it changes. To be able to maintain peace in undesirable situations is pure strength. When I am frustrated I am not maintaining my peace. I am not being strong. I am allowing circumstances to affect my mood, my joy, and my sanity. That is weak.

• Frustration is lack of faith --> When something does not happen the way I want it to happen, within the time frame I want it to happen, frustration becomes my bestfriend. Is that right? Of course not, because I am not having faith in the truth that I speak everyday. The truth that the Universe will always take care of me. The truth that everything will be arranged for my good. The truth that timing is everything and positive energy will always create a positive output. How can I expect to get great things if I am always frustrated about not getting these great things?

• Frustration is impatience --> Joyce Meyer says it perfectly. "Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting." Frustration is not a good attitude. Frustration is not being in control. It is letting my emotions control me. When I am patient, I am in control. Regardless of the outcome, or lack thereof, I can still have a calm composure ALWAYS. That is a difficult task but one I will learn to master soon. 

• Frustation is lack of compassion --> When I get frustrated with someone else I am not trying to see them as a human. I have this expectation for them to be something and when they fail at that, once again, frustration becomes my bestfriend. But it is not a good friend at all. Compassion means you are kind, sensitive, merciful and understanding. Frustration is a blatant antonym to all of those words. I am flawed, I make mistakes, I fall short everyday, so I must know that others do the same. I cannot get frustrated by other's actions, and I also cannot get frustrated by my own. 

• Frustration is lack of love --> Love is the umbrella of all of these things right? Without love, I cannot be compassionate, strong, faithful, or patient. Once I step into frustration I step into ungrateful behavior. In that quick moment I do not love my life. Even if it is for a few moments I am carrying an energy that does not equate to love. Why waste time like that? Why not love every moment, accept every moment, just be grateful for every moment. Easier said than done, but I think the biggest obstacle is just to drop our "story" of ourselves. We complain, get frustrated, get irritated, get upset, or whatever else because we have this story we think we must maintain. My life must look like this, my day has to go like this, this task has to be done like this, my relationship needs to look like this, but why? Why do I need everything so perfect if love is already perfect? If I love my life and become grateful for all the things in it, there is no need to be frustrated. Love conquers all, yes even frustration.

Thank you to the person who made me realize that me being frustrated is just a waste of everybody's time.