Thought It Would Help, But It Didn’t
“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.” — Marcus Aurelius
This writing is certified Human
The Obstacle
It didn’t start heavy
One little weight after another
Stacking on.
The little frustrations of a task
A project delayed
A relationship snip
The news
Politics.
It can all stack up.
The task should have been easy
The project should have been complete by now
The conflict should have been easily resolved
The bad news cycle never ends
The politics, always a disappointment.
The little weights add up
It wasn’t heavy at first
Now it is
The bar is loaded
Too heavy to lift.
Under the weight
Emotions normally controlled
Take control
They’re flying the plane now.
It almost feels good to be angry
To complain
To vent frustration
To rage.
But it doesn’t do any good
It doesn't help.
The Gift and Opportunity
We should feel the weight stacking up
And maybe we do
Or we’re like the boiling frog
Unnoticing.
We can feel frustration
Anger
Resentment
Building rage
But lack the recognition.
Complaining
Venting
Bleeding time and energy
Unfocused.
Sometimes we can snap out of it
And sometimes it takes someone
To tell us it’s not useful
We’re not easy to be around
Stop whining.
If our internal systems fail
Have appoint someone we know and trust
To snap you us of it
Allow them to throw you a lifeline.
They should be aware
We might not always be immediately appreciative
But that we will come around
And that we need and want the help.
So we can refocus our energy
Our time and energy
On finishing the task
Improving the project
Resolving the conflict
Turning off the news
Remembering it’s called politics for a reason.
Sometimes it feels good
To be in a bad place.
But it’s not helpful
It’s not good for anything or anyone.
Calm
Clear
Focused…
That’s what feels good
That’s what helps.
The Practice of Self-Mastery
Feel the weight is stacking
Appoint a person as a lifeline
Recognize the lies of anger
Reclaim calm, clear, focus.
CHEAT CODE: FEEL THE WEIGHT → RECALIBRATE → REENGAGE
