Staying In Front
"Mom, that cup makes no sense."
"What do you mean? That cup is filled with wisdom and truth."
"...No. That cup makes no sense."
When I saw this cup, I knew I had to have it. One could say, it called to me. Three clicks later, it was scheduled to arrive in my mailbox.
This is how it spoke to me.
How often do we have a vision of what we want and easily become overwhelmed? Start working toward our goal and before we know it, we become distracted, discouraged, disorganized, and ultimately, derailed.
For example, if you're like me, two weeks into your diet and you're disgusted the twenty pounds aren't gone yet, because as you recall, you gained them in two weeks, so what the hell is happening!
One of the many wisdoms the cup points to is frustration management.
Manifesting our visions, achieving our goals, and arriving at a desired destination takes time. Time and persistence. Taking steps everyday to move forward, and accepting when we need to take a step backward. And the wisdom to not judge our page two with someone's page 100.
Remember, Beyonce started in her living room, not the Superbowl.
So, we take it one day at a time, keep our eye on the prize, and most importantly, stay in front of our frustration. Meaning, stay mindful of the frustration and actively work to manage it.
If you manage your frustration, your frustration will not manage you.
Please allow me to repeat that...if you manage your frustration, your frustration will not manage you.
Invitation
Managing our frustration (or any emotion) begins with recognizing it exists and focusing our attention on how it is manifesting. The goal is not to repress it, deny it, or avoid it by any means. It's simply about letting it burn without interfering.
We stay in front of the emotion by having awareness without reaction. We keep doing what we need to be doing while having the emotion.
Food for Thought
What am I feeling right now?
Where in my body can I feel it?
Am I breathing or have I constricted my breathing?
What in the environment is affecting this feeling?
When have I felt this feeling before?