DEFINITION
OF TERMS:
OVERCOMING: The English
dictionary defines the term ‘OVERCOME”
as to get the better of in a struggle or
conflict. It also defines it as prevailing or gaining victory over a situation
or battle.
FRUSTRATION: The
dictionary defines FRUSTRATION as a feeling of dissatisfaction, often
accompanied by anxiety or depression, resulting from unfulfilled needs or
unresolved problems.
BARRIER: This is defined as anything built to restrain or obstruct a progress, access etc
Now,
the topic of the day; OVERCOMING THE
FRUSTRATION BARRIER.
With
the above definition of our watchwords, we can boldly say that frustrations can serve as a hindrance
to us from overcoming in a
particular situation or an aspect of our lives.
Are
you frustrated? If yes,
then it means that you’re not happy as some things are panning out in your life
presently, or that you thought you’d have recorded a couple of achievements by
now but you’ve not even been able to identify what you truly want. But, there
is still hope as it is not over yet for you to overcome.
The
truth is that we have the power to ease that ‘frustration feeling’,
only if we sit down in our study closets to think deep. We have to plainly
write out the things that we think are acting as a barrier, things that are
becoming too difficult to break and too real than they seem. These things could
be an obsession to a person or an inanimate object, it could be a personal
character, and it could be a lack of zeal for the pursuit of our dreams. No matter
what they are, once they are written down in black and white, the solutions begin to flow in and we would then
see that we could break free from them.
Frustration can lead
people into having a very low-self esteem as they begin to see themselves as
failures and lost souls. It leads to negative impatience and psychological
imbalance. It can affect the way people think. It stops people from making and
taking strong decisions as the “failure
mentality” sets in and resides in their mindsets. This is why we need to
equip our minds with the right thinking-weapons. We need to guard our thoughts
because the Bible says in Proverbs 23:7 – ‘as a man thinks in his
heart, so is he’. Our thought is a weapon – it could kill us and it
could build us. It all depends on how we use it.
Frustrations, if
channeled properly can equally be used as a MOTIVATOR. It leads
people into having multiple streams of solution sources. They tend to try
different methods in getting a problem fixed. When frustrated, a go-getter
will try again, again, again and again
until he or she records a positive result. Frustration,
if used as an inner-fuel will prompt
people to have diverse experiences on solution creation. Hence, such people
will have what it takes to be a leader, an instructor and a life coach.
Therefore, be grateful that you are frustrated, because it shows that you still
have the motivation to figure things out (only
matured minds can relate to this though).
Frustration, if
viewed positively will also serve as an IMAGINATION BUILDER. It helps us to
mobilize and stimulate the power of our imagination. This is true because, when
we are frustrated, it means that
things are not going the way we envisioned. So, this in turn shows that something
can be done about that situation. The frustration
in us will help us to start thinking and imagining till we spot the problem in
our approach to the problem. Take for instance; you are given a mathematical
problem to solve in an examination. From where I come from, we have the
objective section which have about 3 – 5 possible answers as options with the
actual answer among them and the theory section will does not have any
answer-option. Now when you solve an objective question and the answer you get
is not listed in the given options, you feel frustrated and you start looking at your workings over and over
again to see where you’ve made a mistake. That as well is one of the positive
powers of frustration.
One
of the reasons why frustration gets
the better of people is because they do not know how to channel the feeling it
gives. They allow it to drown them in thoughts, or should I say ‘worries’. When
this happens, we fail to enjoy the benefits of the positive powers of
frustrations.
I’d
highlight some of the best ways you can channel that frustration you feel to not drown you, but to give you the
motivation you seek to move on.
- Always believe you can do what you set your mind to do.
- Know that nothing is too impossible to achieve.
- Surround yourself with people who will always push you to move on.
- Avoid negative thinking people with little or no faith.
- When you set a goal or a target before you, look for ways to breakdown the process into small achievable bits.
- Read biographies of great people who have achieved what you are aiming at. This has a way to inspire you.
- Know that nothing good comes easy. It could take time, but it will arrive.
- Realize that you are not meant to stand-in; you are supposed to stand-out. Be outstanding.
- Stand firm on what you believe and hold your grounds.
- Be a person of great principles.
Friends, let us have the right attitude towards everything that the
world throws at us. This way, we not only reduce hopelessness amongst us, we
also start becoming great thinkers, great inventors, great entrepreneurs, great
men and women of faith, great partners, great parents, great children, great
citizens, great teachers great leaders and great forces to be reckoned with in
our families, communities, nations and in the world at large.
It’s high
time we all stop waiting on the government policies on job and wealth creation
of our different communities, and start thinking of ways we can develop
ourselves to be self employed. We should stop being
job seekers, but job givers. This is your time. See you at the
top.