You ever wonder why you feel frustrated or flustered consistently? Whether it's because of your time or a feeling that you can't quite shake? Let's talk through four of the most consistent sources of frustration that I have noticed from almost a decade of working directly with thousands of humans from all ages and stages of life. My hope is that by identifying them here, you will consciously choose to begin to unravel the ties and knots of frustration you may have allowed or created.
1. Trying to operate outside of your season.
Honoring your season of life is a necessary requirement in living your life with intention. Trying to operate outside of your season can be a direct source of frustration.
Instead, get clear on your current season, what it allows, what it requires and what you have capacity for. Understanding and setting seasonal boundaries becomes a beautiful way to honor yourself and your life as it is in this moment.
2. Focusing solely on the end goal at the expense of seeing the present step/moment.
Looking directly at the sun can be blinding; the same can be said (metaphorically speaking) for keeping your eyes focused on the end result that you want or desire as opposed to looking at where you are right now and focusing on the current step you are on so that it can move you toward your end goal.
Look at what is in front of you instead of becoming overwhelmed by what is to come, what you don't know, what you don't have, how far you have to go, and the many other things that can distract and hinder you (and, of course, frustrate you).
3. Looking for immediate gratification and overnight (or same day) returns.
There's a meme floating around Instagram with a picture of Pooh Bear looking at his rather round and large tummy in the mirror with the caption, "waiting to see if that salad I ate this morning is working." This is a great depiction of the way so many people think about their efforts--"if I don't see immediate results then it's not working, it doesn't work for me."
Learn how to appreciate the journey and who you are becoming by your consistent efforts, let that be the gratification can satisfaction for today. Bypassing the journey and the process does not benefit you. Trust that your good and healthy choices will compound and that there is work going on that you cannot see. But if you quit when you're frustrated from not seeing same day results, you will be frustrated until the very end.
4. You are doing too much and operating outside of your capacity.
At least 85% of the people that I have worked with either in a one-on-one capacity or with group coaching were doing too much by operating outside of their capacity (and sometimes outside of their season). The world that we live in feeds you with distraction and opportunities to add more, do more, try more, go more, sign up for more, and the like. An intentional life requires being highly attuned to yourself so that you can be aware of your capacity and what is most important because chances are you do not have the capacity to do every thing you want to do.
You know who benefits when you operate outside of your capacity? Not you. You know what's more important than receiving a certificate for being everything to everybody? Sleep, rest, stillness, space in your day and in your life for the things that matter most.
Where are the places where you have created the source of your frustration by taking on entirely too much?
Episode 115 of the Best Today® Podcast
My hope is that by bringing these four things to your attention you can identify those which are relevant to you and begin to unravel the ties and knots of frustration you have allowed or created. If you'd like to hear more about these four things and how you can overcome them all, I talk more about these four things in episode 115 of the Best Today® Podcast which you can listen to here on our website or on multiple platforms here.
