Frustrated?
Make It Work for You
How Do You Handle Frustration?
Americans
are increasingly dissatisfied with their work, a trend that’s
been continuing over two decades. A report released by The Conference
Board¹ earlier this month shows a 61% decline in worker satisfaction
since 1987. Only 45% of workers surveyed say they are satisfied
with their jobs, and this is despite the be-grateful-you-have-a-job
mentality of the current economy. Commenting on the report, Laura
Berman Fortgang offers some insightful observations in an article
that I've posted here.
Whether or not this statistic applies to you, I ask you to consider
this question: How do you handle dissatisfaction? What
do you do when you’re frustrated…whether
with your job, your bank account, your spouse, your weight, or
anything else for that matter?
Make It Work For You
Here are four ways to work with your frustration:
- Call it what it is. Sometimes dissatisfaction
and frustration show up in capital letters. Other times it’s
more of an ebb and flow that never completely recedes. However
it appears, the first step is to acknowledge it and call it
what it is.
- Don’t just feel it…interview
it. Talk to your frustration and find out the answer
to these questions: What’s frustrating me? What’s
really frustrating me? What is it signaling?
- Make a decision and take action. If you find
yourself bumping into the same frustration repeatedly, do something
about it. Take a new approach. Not knowing what to do isn’t
the big problem you may think it is. It just means that you
need some help generating options.
- See it as a gift. Without frustration you
might be tempted to settle for the status quo. A woman recently
told me that she wasn’t frustrated enough to do something
about her predicament right now. I understood completely, and
it’s true that frustration can be a great motivator. Actually,
I think it can be even more than that. Frustration is
often a door to something bigger and more fulfilling that you’re
getting ready for. What’s showing up as discomfort,
then, is really a call, an invitation, a cue, an opportunity.
Your Frustration is the Door
As I describe on the home page
of my website, what I’ve seen is that the best way to find
more meaning in your life or more satisfying work is to take on
your restlessness as an opportunity.
What will you do this week to walk through the door of
your frustration?
Here's to you,
Notes:
¹The Conference Board
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© 2010, Virginia M. Kravitz and In
the Current®. All Rights Reserved. You are welcome to reproduce
this article provided it is without any alteration, includes the copyright
above, and if distributing electronically includes a link to www.inthecurrent.com.
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