Everyone gets frustrated, but not everyone responds the same way to frustration. Some people are able to handle a tremendous amount of frustration, while others fold quite quickly. The good news is that overcoming frustration is a skill anyone can develop with practice.
Why is it so important to work on developing this skill?
Because, the key to unlocking the door of success is perseverance. Developing a never-give-up attitude, despite frustrating circumstances, is the golden ticket to achieving whatever you want.
See how you can relegate frustration to just a speed bump on your journey to success by using this process:
- Notice that you’re frustrated. It’s a good idea to be constantly aware of your emotions. This makes it possible to acknowledge and deal with negative emotions before they snowball out of control. It’s enough to say to yourself, “I’m getting frustrated.”
- Be excited. What? Be excited about frustration? Yes! You’re frustrated because you believe you should be doing better. You’re on the path to making some real progress. Frustration is a good sign. It’s better than believing your current situation is the best you can do.
- Determine what is working. It’s unlikely that everything you’re doing is failing. You’re almost certainly doing some good things. Before you throw out the baby with the bathwater, determine what is currently working. It’s not necessary to start from scratch each time.
- Determine what isn’t working. Now, set your sights on what isn’t working. Why isn’t it working? How can you adjust your approach? What can you do better next time?
- Make a new plan. With the information you’ve gathered, create a new plan for your next attempt.
- Identify potential obstacles. What is likely to go wrong? What can you do now to prepare yourself? It’s much more frustrating to deal with an unforeseen setback than to deal with something you expected from the beginning.
- Understand the power of persevering. Nothing is more powerful than sticking with something. Consider that it’s impossible to fail if you keep adjusting your approach based on your results. How could you not succeed eventually?
8. Practice persevering. Each time you feel like quitting, make yourself stay at your task a little longer. If you’re practicing the piano and feel like stopping, make yourself continue for another 15 minutes. Whenever you feel like stopping, keep going. This will become a habit.
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- Most of us give ourselves permission to quit when we feel a certain amount of discomfort. Make a conscious decision to stay the course, instead.
- You’ll learn to push through that discomfort that makes you want to quit things. It’s just an uncomfortable feeling. You can ignore it like you would a mild headache. Just keep going anyway.
9. Have goals and know your outcomes. Set goals and look ahead to how great it will be to achieve them. Feeling frustrated? Look at your endpoint and remind yourself how great it will feel when you get there.
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- Giving up is the result of looking at your short-term failure. Perseverance comes from allowing yourself to feel good about the future. High expectations and perseverance go together.
10. Get some support. It’s easy to talk yourself out of just about anything. However, a trusted friend or family member can help you to persevere. Sometimes the perspective of another person is helpful.
How persistent are you? It’s not easy to keep going when things aren’t working out. However, it’s necessary if you want to enjoy the fruits of success. Perseverance isn’t something you either have or you don’t. You can cultivate and grow perseverance. It’s one of the most effective ways to sway the odds of success in your favor.
