" Frustration, although quite painful at times, is a very positive and essential part of success. "
~ Bo Bennett
" Success is not built on success. It's built on failure. It's built on frustration. Sometimes its built on catastrophe. "
~ Sumner Redstone
" I've come to believe that all my past failure and frustration were actually laying the foundation for the understandings that have created the new level of living I now enjoy. "
~ Tony Robbins
It's been a month at the new job, and I love my job a great deal. But with the amount of (voluntary) overtime I've been working lately I feel like I'm still struggling with maintaining all of the things I had done in my life while still unemployed that were helpful to my personal growth.
I still manage to walk (I walk from the job to the West 4 Street train station, which is about a mile. Then from the Clinton and Washington Avenue station in Brooklyn to home, another mile), but I'm not making 5 miles a day anymore.
I still start the day with my gratitude list, but I admit that sometimes I oversleep after a late night and rush through it, not really taking the time to really feel and express the thankfulness I believe is necessary for the list to feel genuine.
And the worst hit by this shift in my life is this blog. It has been really difficult to find the time, despite having a ton of (I hope) great ideas that I am very keen on blogging about. And each time I would attempt to put together my thoughts, fatigue would set in, and I would ultimately close my laptop and opt to get the much-needed sleep my body is craving.
So frustration was definitely the dominant emotion I was feeling for the past few weeks. I am very proud of the readers of this blog, and it's a horrible feeling to think that I've let anyone down by not posting. I know that I've let myself down by not putting the care and attention into my life and my self improvement that I had in the past few months.
Fortunately, it seems that the shift in my schedule is becoming more familiar to me now. And my attitude has certainly shifted a great deal as well. Why emphasize the fact that I ONLY walked 2 miles? Why not celebrate the fact that I walked after working a long and tiring shift?
In retrospect, I am grateful for the frustration I felt. I allowed me to reflect on the situation and come to the conclusion that it was my attitude that needed adjusting, not my schedule. I have heard that frustration can be an excellent motivator, but had not really seen evidence of it until just recently.
So today's Music Therapy with Miss Moon song choice is about frustration we can sometimes feel. Honor your feelings, and allow them to teach you and steer you in the right direction. I hope you all will be inspired by "The Way I Feel" by the fabulous Asa.
I feel pain when they try to bring me down
But as long as this world keeps turning round
I know it won't last forever
Ok ok my life is moving
But demons are fighting
Ok ok tears are dry now
But demons are fighting
I feel like I'm floating through existence
I feel like I'm living after time
I feel like I'm forced to break the silence
Is that a crime? Is that a crime?
I feel like we're all following shadows
And shadows they don't know where to go
I feel like I'm waiting for tomorrow
While today wastes away
It's not that I don't know
It's not that I can't see
It's not that I haven't noticed
It's driving me insane
It's not that I don't know
It's not that I can't see
It's just the way I feel
It's just the way I feel
I feel like a child without a father
And mama tries oh lord knows mama tries
I feel like the world is on my shoulder
I wonder why, wonder why
I feel like I'm not the only one who's frustrated
I feel like something's going wrong
I can't escape it
I feel like the destinies of those meant
To be the best
Are in the hands of liars now the world is on fire
I feel like we're not angry enough
That while we wait, time's ticking away
I feel there's gonna be an explosion!
It's not that I don't know
It's not that I can't see
It's not that I haven't noticed
It's driving me insane
It's not that I don't know
It's not that I can't see
It's just the way I feel
It's just the way I feel
Showing posts with label frustration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label frustration. Show all posts
Monday, December 10, 2012
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
The Greatest Miracles Happen When the Odds are Against You...
A little background history: Last year, I was working as a Customer Service Representative for Carol's Daughter here in NYC (If you called or emailed last year you perhaps got me. If so, I hope I helped and didn't piss you off! lol). I also got really serious with my then long-distance boyfriend (now cohabitant/hubby-to-be) and decided that I would move from Brooklyn to a small-ish town Upstate NY called Corning to be with him. So I quit my job, and sure that the fates would smile upon me for making such a uncharacteristically brave leap, made the move in November on my 31st birthday.
And I am not saying that the fates haven't smiled on me at all. They have brought me the most fulfilling and loving relationship I've ever had in my life. They have brought me a man who has the most amazingly loving family, and they have brought me so many wonderful experiences in the time spent in Corning (including the most wonderful surprise proposal I've ever witnessed - and it was ME being proposed to!). They just didn't bring me a job! LMAO
So, newly affianced hubby-to-be by my side, I moved back to Brooklyn, where I was 50-75% sure I would get my old job back at Carol's Daughter, as they seemed very enthusiastic about me moving back to the city. I didn't. They didn't even send me a "thanks, but no thanks" letter after my interview. Which sucks anytime you go on an interview, but sucks really hard when you have a relationship with a company and have made positive contributions of time and creativity to said company.
Fast forward 3 months, several interviews and several rejections later... I am still unemployed, and it's moments like this when it's hard to keep optimistic. Especially when I read this comment from a DailyKos article that suggests the fervor about the Malia Obama picture is not about her tee shirt, but about her hair:
"I recently attended an employment coaching class for unemployed women looking for work. Part of it entailed the usual lesson on how to dress for an interview and was astonished to hear an African-American woman speaker advise AA women not to wear "ethnic" hairstyles. It was really shocking, because as a white woman, I find braided hairstyles to be very neat and no-nonesense[sic], as they signal that the woman is not spending her mornings doing her hair."
This coupled with an article from LiveSteez that reports that the unemployment rate of black neighborhoods in NYC is way over the rate for the entire city is far from encouraging, as I happen to be an African-American woman. With "ethnic" hair. Trying to find a job in NYC. According to these articles, I have a better chance of simultaneously being struck with lightening and contracting swine flu.
Suffice to say, I had a mini-breakdown as the weight of this information landed squarely on my shoulders. I decided to regroup with a long hot shower/mini meditation. While in the shower, this phrase came up for me during the meditation:
"The greatest miracles happen when the odds are against you"
I truly believe this, and it made me instantly feel better about the situation. I don't know if I will be immediately successful, but I do feel stronger and more optimistic. In short, I am ready for the challenge and I am (sho nuff!) ready for the triumph I believe will come from it.
So I am arming myself with the love and support of my friends and family (most importantly myself!), and this amazing meditation by Lilou Mace that I plan on watching twice a day: after waking up and before bed.
And I will be open, receptive to divine instruction and guidance. And I will succeed when I find the opportunity that has my name all over it!
And I am not saying that the fates haven't smiled on me at all. They have brought me the most fulfilling and loving relationship I've ever had in my life. They have brought me a man who has the most amazingly loving family, and they have brought me so many wonderful experiences in the time spent in Corning (including the most wonderful surprise proposal I've ever witnessed - and it was ME being proposed to!). They just didn't bring me a job! LMAO
So, newly affianced hubby-to-be by my side, I moved back to Brooklyn, where I was 50-75% sure I would get my old job back at Carol's Daughter, as they seemed very enthusiastic about me moving back to the city. I didn't. They didn't even send me a "thanks, but no thanks" letter after my interview. Which sucks anytime you go on an interview, but sucks really hard when you have a relationship with a company and have made positive contributions of time and creativity to said company.
Fast forward 3 months, several interviews and several rejections later... I am still unemployed, and it's moments like this when it's hard to keep optimistic. Especially when I read this comment from a DailyKos article that suggests the fervor about the Malia Obama picture is not about her tee shirt, but about her hair:
"I recently attended an employment coaching class for unemployed women looking for work. Part of it entailed the usual lesson on how to dress for an interview and was astonished to hear an African-American woman speaker advise AA women not to wear "ethnic" hairstyles. It was really shocking, because as a white woman, I find braided hairstyles to be very neat and no-nonesense[sic], as they signal that the woman is not spending her mornings doing her hair."
This coupled with an article from LiveSteez that reports that the unemployment rate of black neighborhoods in NYC is way over the rate for the entire city is far from encouraging, as I happen to be an African-American woman. With "ethnic" hair. Trying to find a job in NYC. According to these articles, I have a better chance of simultaneously being struck with lightening and contracting swine flu.
Suffice to say, I had a mini-breakdown as the weight of this information landed squarely on my shoulders. I decided to regroup with a long hot shower/mini meditation. While in the shower, this phrase came up for me during the meditation:
"The greatest miracles happen when the odds are against you"
I truly believe this, and it made me instantly feel better about the situation. I don't know if I will be immediately successful, but I do feel stronger and more optimistic. In short, I am ready for the challenge and I am (sho nuff!) ready for the triumph I believe will come from it.
So I am arming myself with the love and support of my friends and family (most importantly myself!), and this amazing meditation by Lilou Mace that I plan on watching twice a day: after waking up and before bed.
And I will be open, receptive to divine instruction and guidance. And I will succeed when I find the opportunity that has my name all over it!
Labels:
challenges,
frustration,
job searching,
jobs,
meditation,
miracles,
obstacles,
optimism
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