In my work coaching changemakers, Ive noticed a recurring theme of dealing with frustration.

Frustration with not being there we want to be.

Frustrated that things are going too slowly.

Frustrated at the idea of wasting time on something that “might not work”.

It usually has a pretty clear mental image too - that of someone “tearing their hair out in frustration”. Ouch. 

All that frustration can mount up! Like a boiling kettle, it builds and builds and the point at which you can take no more might be the point at which you stop working on your project, and jump to another one for safety, or worse, dwell.

The energy required to be that frustrated is misspent. It is the dark side of ambition. Yet it too can have a purpose. It harnessed, if framed the right way, it can be a driving force.

What if that frustration could be seen as dissatisfaction? Already that makes a difference. Words matter. 

What if that dissatisfaction is really a re-visioning of what could be. If we are goal-setting properly, we have an idea of what the world will look like when we reach the end of this piece of work. The bit between here and there, is where we get to create.

A lot of us put a lot of energy into trying to get rid of that frustrating feeling of wanting to be anywhere but where we are. The reality is that that weight could actually be a block of fuel, ready to propel us forward.