Are You Feeling Frustrated?

A couple months ago, I was having a BBQ dinner with my family.

My 2 1/2 year-old niece decided she didn’t want to eat her supper, exclaimed, “I’m frustrated!” and promptly laid down on the deck and fell asleep.

If you ever feel like doing the exact same thing, I see you.

Sometimes, life is frustrating. (Especially life in 2020.) And so is storytelling.

But here’s the thing:

If you’re frustrated about something in the world, it probably means you have an idea about how it could be done better, about why things should be different, and what else might be possible. You’re probably passionate about it, and that’s a good thing.

If you’re frustrated while writing or communicating — while trying to tell your story — that’s also a good thing. It means you’re in it. You’re involved in the process. You’re trying to make something come to life.

Writing, and editing, and telling stories, and bringing ideas into the world is a frustrating work of art.

Occasionally it might be easy (maybe). But more often it’s annoying, and messy, and time consuming, and tedious, and most of all frustrating.

But I love the heck out of it.

And maybe that's because...

The frustration is the point.

At the heart of that frustration is the gap between where you are now — the idea that hasn’t totally come to life yet, the clarity you haven’t completely found, the perfect blend of words you haven’t yet stumbled upon — and the thing.

The thing you will say, the story you will tell, the idea you will share. The change, the resolution, the difference, the hopeful future, the vision, your work of art come to life.

So here's what I need you to know...

If you’re frustrated, it doesn’t mean you need to back off.

It doesn’t mean you’re not a good storyteller, or a good writer, or that you can’t or won’t get there.

The frustration doesn’t mean that the story is too much, or too dark, or too heavy, or too angry, or too messy.

It doesn’t mean you should keep it inside. It doesn’t mean that no one else will want to hear it.

If you’re frustrated — whether because you haven’t gotten started yet or because you have — don’t run from it. Embrace it. Dig deeper. Say what you’ve got to say.

If you need to, re-read last newsletter’s issue on how to work with your inner censor.

Or review the rollercoaster ride that is embracing your inner critic.

Or recommit to doing your best work ever, no matter how frustrating and difficult sometimes it may be.

Or reflect on why it’s really worth it.

And remember that if you’ve ever had a problem, you have a story.

Go ahead and embrace your frustration. I think it might just lead you somewhere great.

And never forget that your story matters. The frustration is worth it.