Have you ever poured your heart and soul into something that truly mattered to you? You’re making progress at a rapid pace—until you hit a major roadblock.
Whatever the issue, you try to work around it, only to find yourself continually hitting the proverbial brick wall. That makes you start to question yourself, seeds of doubt begin to surface, and soon, you’re ready to throw in the towel.
As annoying as it can be to experience a lack of progress, the frustration you’re feeling isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The next time you’re having one of those days, consider these four truths about frustration:
1. It could be masking a lack of clarity.
It can be tempting to blame your frustration on external sources, but the real issue is often a lack of clarity. What is it that you want to accomplish? Who are you trying to attract and engage? How are you proposing to do that? If your answers are too fuzzy (or worse, unknown), you’ll endlessly spin round and round. When you narrow your focus and get specific with your goals, you’ll have a much easier time achieving them.
2. Sometimes it means you’re going in the wrong direction.
I know it’s a tough pill to swallow, but if you’ve been at it for a while and haven’t made headway, perhaps you need to consider a new path. Sometimes spinning your wheels is the best thing that can happen to you because it gives you a chance to reevaluate your strategy: if to date, you’ve been a lone wolf, perhaps you should consider a partner; if a new offering isn’t getting the reception you’d hoped for, scrap it and try something different.
Or maybe you need to increase your level of awareness and pay attention. Even when you think you’re going in the right direction, the universe has a funny way of nudging you in another. Consider that the delays you’ve experienced might be a sign that it’s time to change course.
The important thing here is to maintain flexibility and a willingness to take action; by choosing to do so, you’ll gain new ground and begin to make progress again.
3. You can gain a new perspective by talking through it.
Because we’re so close to and emotionally vested in our endeavor, it can be hard to see things as they really are. Chatting about your issue with a trusted advisor—a friend, family member or mentor—can help you step back and gain objectivity and a fresh perspective.
Do you feel like you don’t have anyone who “gets” you and what you’re trying to achieve? Consider going an alternative route and throwing out your challenge to a casual acquaintance, someone outside your usual business circle. A new view of an old problem can help us see it in a different light. Sometimes it’s not the counsel of others you need; it’s being given the platform to say out loud what’s in your head that helps get you unstuck.
4. Realize that it’s self-induced and always comes before achievement.
You always have a choice: adopt a mindset where you believe the world is conspiring against you, and let frustration stymy you, or you can use setbacks as fuel to course-correct and keep going. To conquer frustration, focus on the outcome, not the obstacle.
We often get discouraged right before we have a major breakthrough. Stick with it! An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means that it’s going to launch you into something extraordinary. If you maintain your patience and keep your eye on the prize, you might look back and see that this was a pivotal moment in your success journey.
