Pearls of Frustration
Today I thought I’d share a little on the topic of frustration. As much as I wish I wasn’t “an expert” on this topic (wouldn’t it be nice to never be frustrated??), I guess I might as well make use of this somewhat unpleasant life tool. So what is the purpose of frustration? Many times in my life I’ve asked myself this question and always get the same image flashing through my mind…an oyster. An oyster you ask? Odd, yes, but fitting when you think of it as a metaphoric symbol. Oysters must know something about frustration….at least if all those stories I’ve heard about how pearls are formed are true. Imagine how annoying it must feel to have a harsh little bit of sand poking you…think about what it would be like if it was under your tongue. Awful huh? Yet, that is what leads to those beautiful, very coveted pearls. The Pearl is a beautiful, sought after, and cherished gem amongst many people around the world. It’s the natural result of years of pain and frustration endured by the creature that created it…. the oyster. In it as itself, not a beautiful being, but clearly capable of creating extraordinary things. Now I do like pearls, especially when they are used as a metaphor representing all the good things I look for in my life, but isn’t there another way for them to form? I’d like to say “yes” (believe me I REALLY would!) but based on my life experience and all the experience of those I’ve worked with over the years, I’m thinking that the answer is no. Apparently, we all need that irritating piece of sand to get us moving towards creating the pearls in our life. So what is the sand in your life at this time? I guess mine is restraints…the parts of my personality, my life circumstances, the reality of divine timing…all those things that keep me from feeling free to move forward as quickly and easily as I’d like to. Where is the pearl in that for me? I guess it stops me from running off quickly in one direction only to find out after much time and energy is expended that I’d really rather be running a different direction. I admit it…I’m a big idea person and when I get one of those “great” ideas I want to put it into action immediately! So, what does this mean? Have you ever found yourself frustrated in the process of working towards a goal and decided that the goal isn’t worth the struggle and frustration to attain it? That we told ourselves, “it’s not worth it”, “this will never work”, “everyone is against me”, “it is what it is”, “I’m not good enough”….I’m sure you can fill in a few more blanks yourself as we ALL run this internal dialogue continuously throughout our lives. “You can’t build your character without working through conflict.” Most people feel the friction of conflict and pull back. We can feel the resistance and create external excuses as to why the things we dream about are not possible for us. That’s the easy track…but by far the hardest track because most often it leaves us with a feeling in the pit of our stomach of unfulfillment and unworthiness as opposed to fulfilled, on purpose, and abundant. That’s where the lifetime of pain can come from, and because that pain can continuously be reinforced by maintaining the same actions when conflict or resistance arises, all levels of stress, the feeling of “lack of” and chronic sickness can appear in your life. “If you choose the easy road, your life will be hard. If you choose the hard road, your life will be easy.” – Les Brown Coaching Tip from me to you: Take a look at the “sand” in your own life and ask yourself why it is there? What pearl is it trying to bring forth in your life? We can’t get rid of frustration or of the sand, but maybe we can learn to live with it a little better. At least I know I’m going to give it a try! And here is another one. It’s so easy to look at someone else’s end result and believe it must have all been so easy. It’s just not true and if you take away just one thing from this message, it’s this: success is available to everyone. When we embrace our obstacles and conflicts and work through them day by day, year by year…. just like the oyster, we take steps towards building the character required for us to create the lives we dream of. Manifest in the Midwest
