Motivation and Frustration -- the two sides of the coin

i personally think that there are two primary emotions that cause people to act the way they do. one is motivation, and another is frustration. motivation is the force that allows men and women to achieve great heights. it sets them on fire and propels them to heroic fulfillment. this all-needed motivation stems from various sources, but the strongest kind of it springs from the thought and prospect of achieving the impossible. put the sleepy, timid and wandering soul in front of a seemingly insurmountable task and fire his desire that it can be done (though it has never been done before), and the fire will be ignited, hope will spring eternal, miracles will happen...

on the other hand, there is such a thing as frustration, and this one stems from the realization that the impossible cannot be done by individual human effort alone. the motivated person may be fired up to achieve the impossible, he may be the greatest optimist who has walked this earth, but when the limitation on human ability finally becomes apparent and one realizes it, the acquired strength from strong motivation can turn into an equally strong (or stronger) frustration..

the key, then, is to understand the two sides of the coin. for if you dwell only on the heads side of motivation, you run the risk of being an idealist, not being wary of your own limitations and always setting expectations that defy gravity, analogous to literally believing that people can fly. but if you dwell on the tails side of frustration, you run the risk of becoming the doom and gloom harbinger that good things, great things CANNOT be done under any circumstance. a frustrated man doesn't see the silver lining, that split second moment of opportunity that makes the seemingly impossible possible. and the path, this writer believes, that leads to achievement of set goals and objectives is one that's unencumbered by unreasonable motivation (daydreaming) and premature frustration (giving up too soon when things might be starting to pick off).

so flip the coin, but never dwell on any one side. Even God is a realist who knows how limited we are, yet performs miracles through vessels of clay. ;) 

by: V. Cutar
10/17/2013
6:33 PM