What to do with vain attempts, what is disappointment and how do I proceed through frustration?
When you can’t change it, are stymied at every turn or feel attacked, you get frustrated.
Who hasn’t been frustrated with themselves for not being able to accomplish a new or difficult task – whether it be changing out a filter or learning a dance routine?
When you are doing everything in your power to do the right thing, find solution or help, sometimes indecision, life, circumstance, others or yourself thwart you. It is confounding and disheartening.
In tears, in shouts, in anger, in silent scorn and disbelief we try to dislodge the load of discouragement. But the only thing we can really do, is accept and find the positive.
How I turn the displeasure inside myself or outwardly, determines the level of pain I endure. To be sure, we seek only to find peace and resolution but when we get to that place, is a matter of how long we want to stay in the castigation or punishment stage. Crippling all efforts of reconciliation, restoration or restitution, we remain plagued in our own excrement.
We move forward when we are sick and tired of being sick and tired. When we find it in our hearts to forgive ourselves for being flawed, we can forgive others for the same human attribute.
“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” – Jung
How many times have you had the occasion to forgive, empathize or soothe another person whom is steeped in utter desperate frustration, humiliation or remorse? You cannot even believe they are so distraught over such a mistake, misstep or lack of judgment. To you, it is not the end of the world and you see clearly beyond the trouble with objectivity. And when our views are distorted, we need to be reminded to correct them.
But when it comes to ourselves, we wallow in the muck, mortified, whipping our own behinds and beating ourselves over the head with a huge bat. What kind of compassion is that? It isn’t love at all.
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. – Mahatma Gandhi
Depression is long term anger directed towards self and harshly judges the past. Anxiety is future based fear. Both places exclude the present. Both states lose sight of forgiveness.
It is never about the other person or situation. We want to get rid of our guilt and pain so we project it onto someone or something else. Yet, we always have a choice what we put into our minds. Lack of forgiveness blocks the presence of love. It blinds and deafens us. Angry, fearful thoughts are based on ego. Ego separates. Love unites. Fear and all its forms is ego based. Love is in the field of potentiality – positive, wise, unconditional and eternal.
“In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein