The MONTHLY Motivator - September 2015

From frustration to opportunity

Do you ever feel frustrated with life? Good! Because you can take that frustration and transform it into opportunity. Think about it, and you’ll realize that frustration is just a feeling. Sure, there’s some situation you’re frustrated about. However, the situation itself is not the frustration. The frustration exists within you. And because of that, you can take control of it. You can transform it into something positive and useful. You can go from frustration to opportunity, and then from opportunity to achievement.

There’s a lot of energy in frustration, and that’s a good thing. However, when that energy is used to continue fueling the frustration, it’s not such a good thing. What you must do is take that energy of frustration and transform it into determination, into inspiration, activity and achievement. It’s a secret that highly successful people know. The energy of your frustration does not have to be wasted on frustration. It can be expended on much more valuable pursuits. How do you do that? It all depends on how you focus your attention.

The things to which you give your attention will grow stronger. Think about something, focus on something, give your energy to something, and that energy gives it life, whatever it may be. What you work toward will grow stronger. What you fight against will also grow stronger. If you focus on your frustrations, you end up becoming even more frustrated. And if you then continue to dwell on those frustrations, eventually you reach the point where it’s nearly impossible to focus on anything else. Yet when you direct your thoughts toward your blessings, your possibilities, and the opportunities that life presents, those good and valuable things become even more so. The power of your attention can quickly transform modest value into ever-increasing richness and meaning. In every moment you have the choice of where to direct your attention. Life may throw all sorts of things your way, and yet you can always decide where the power of your attention is focused. As you go through each day, make yourself aware of how you use the enormous power of attention. Keep your attention locked solidly on the positive possibilities, on the good and valuable opportunities, and you will give them life.

There are valuable treasures available to you even now, that you have not yet discovered. There are many things that will someday bring richness to your life that you do not yet even know about. No matter where you have gone, or what you have experienced, there is always much, much more to be lived. No matter what you may have once had and then lost, there is always much more to be gained. What may seem like an annoying frustration at this time could eventually end up being an abundant blessing.

In each moment as life goes forward, you have the opportunity to make the best of whatever you encounter. What might feel like weakness can be transformed into strength. What otherwise would hold you back can give you plenty of reason to push forward. Even when much has been done, there is far, far more that you can do. Whether life has been full or whether it has been sparse up to now, there are countless ways remaining to fill it. Whatever life may have already been, there is much, much more to be lived. And now is the moment to resolutely begin. Now is when you can take hold of the energy of frustration, and use that energy to create positive and empowering responses to life’s opportunities.

A positive response is always the most powerful one. For a positive response puts you firmly in control. When you encounter anger, respond with love. And you’ll make the anger almost impossible to sustain. When you come up against frustration, respond with patience. And the frustration will grow weaker with each passing moment. In the face of dismay, respond with kindness. And the light you shine will chase the darkness away. When you’re faced with challenge, respond with gratitude. And in that challenge, you’ll uncover immense opportunity. No matter what life may hand you, there is always a positive response. Choose that positive response, and put yourself on the winning side.

Some of your blessings you instantly recognize as such. Most of them, though, take some time to become fully apparent. Often, a great blessing can come from what may at first seem to be a heavy burden. Reflect back on your experience and you’ll see this is true. Perhaps a relationship that got off to a rocky start ended up becoming a treasured friendship. Or perhaps a difficult challenge brought to the surface a valuable skill you didn’t know you had. Maybe you needed to solve a thorny problem and in doing so, discovered a golden opportunity. Or perhaps living through a time of immense frustration made you stronger, more confident, patient and resilient.

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--Ralph Marston

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