6 ways to come out of career frustration

Give it a go!

 Fantasizing about your ideas and future success doesn’t make it achievable yet. Many dwell in the fantasies of their creative ideas for decades but never work towards the dream. You hear them say; ”watch out for what I’d become in the next 3 years” but never take a step.

A productive person is the one who has the ability to provide an abundance of anything given to him.

Making a dream a reality and bringing it to a higher level of performance doesn’t happen by chance, it involves your ‘doing’. And it’s not just by doing anything or everything.

Baig (2002, p. 08) has defined productivity in the following words,

Doing things right at the least possible cost, the least possible time with the highest possible quality and to the maximum level of satisfaction of the customers and employees. 

If you start to work on your creative ideas today and you also make sure to be super productive, it still doesn’t mean that success is sure. It is either it works out well or it fails.

But failure isn’t always the bad egg after all. There is a lesson to learn. You should learn it, dust yourself up and start walking again.

Whether success or failure, you are sure better than how you started.

But there is this one thing that might be persistent…

Frustration!

 Several people are frustrated about why nothing is working for them. Here are the few diagnoses I made and how you can properly manage frustration on your career success journey.

How to come out of frustration

1. YOU

 It starts with you; your mentality (emotionally, Psychologically and social well-being).

Your perspective about things that matters. And there’s just one factor that affects this…

 Your environment!

I read about Urie Bronfenbrenner (1917-2005) Who said that

A child is a product of his environment. The system closest to the child’s development is the first influence on the child’s development, and as he moves outward the system, the impact becomes more direct or indirect.

The environment we once lived in/are in/would live in has a great impact on what we were, are and would be.

 You have to deliberately step out of the default mentality and fallacies that have been rooted in your domain if you have stayed in the wrong environment for a long time. While this may not be your fault, you must be committed to the transformation of your mind. Replace bad habits with better ones. 

Be intentional about your growth. Take personal development seriously

 Discover your purpose and be determined to achieve that!

2. Pressure

A sister once told me a story about how she once jacked almost ten (10) businesses altogether at the same time, but never gained mastery in one at least. This happened because she saw her friends making so much money, and she wanted to do a lot to be relevant. She later dropped everything looking like a failure.

 The issue Is not about the path you’ve chosen, but about the motive driving you. Find your unique niche and stay there! Get career clarity

 Meanwhile, I must also add that the goal should be ‘making an impact’. Relevance is measured by the quality and not just the quantity of the impact made. 

Be a problem solver.

3. Negativity

 This comes in different ways; Keeping negative friends/partners and thoughts affects the state of your mind.

If your closest friends ain’t adding any positive value to your life and are always comfortable with you not making progress, it sure doing more harm than good.

 To be productive, you have to be intentional about your choice of relationships. If they ain’t helping your growth, giving them space won’t be a crime. Friendship is not all about having fun, jesting and all that, but about the success that you’ve recorded since you’ve been keeping them.

Now, talking about your thoughts, many have agreed that they can never achieve a thing, and they’ve been living on that. Wallowing in that thought is self-destructive. Well, I’m not disputing the fact that you might have gone through traumatized experiences, but if you don’t stay out of it, you may never be able to achieve purpose on this planet.

 Nothing good comes from negative thoughts. It only leads to depression. Stay positive!

You can do anything. The greatest of all motivations is the one you give yourself. No matter what anyone says, if you don’t believe that you can achieve it, you may never do.

4. Poor Time Management

 This has actually been the flaw holding back many successful people. You have to know that there’s no way you can extend time. Warren Buffett once said that

The difference between successful people and ‘really successful’ people is that ‘really successful’ people say ‘no’ to almost everything.

    Some things may seem good but might not be meant for you to do if it’s not in line with your dream. It’s high time you stopped thinking you have to do many things or multitask yourself before you become successful.

Here is another point for you

 There’s this popular saying that “procrastination is a thief of time”.  Permit me to use a verse from the bible in Proverbs 24:33-34 that says “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man”.

Motivate yourself to get it done and set deadlines. Don’t wait till tomorrow. Start it now!

5. PDP

 Yeah, PDP – the personal development plan. It’s saddening how a lot of people trivialize this. There are so many things that should be embedded in your PDP, but the chief part is knowledge;

Go for knowledge. If you have a goal, and you don’t have adequate knowledge about it, it may never work out. Tonny Robbins said, “it’s not knowing what to do, it’s doing what you know”.

Read about those who had gone through the same path you’ve chosen. You can’t miss serving people the best.

Do not forget that you’re not the only one doing what you’re doing, but your knowledge will determine how far you’ll go and the impact you’ll make. Improve your knowledge and bring them into practice to see results. The quality of your knowledge will stir up confidence and competency.

Be diligent!

The truth is…

 There are people waiting for your dreams, and you don’t expect that they get disappointed with your presentation.

    Learn to ask questions too; nobody is an island of knowledge, avoid the feeling of complacency.

Another thing is Creativity; in my study, I deduce that creativity is transforming ideas, imagination and dreams into reality. It’s not enough to just have ideas, try them out. If it doesn’t work out, reshuffle it and start over again.

6. FOCUS

“Focus is being productive; not being busy”

     Stay away from distractions; know what’s best for you! Set your priorities. You have to mark the difference between what’s important and what is not. Focus on the more significant things.

 Every way would seem to be the way when you don’t have a target. And you can’t be focused outside discipline and persistence. Some things might be good and pleasurable but not crucial.

 A very reliable fact is that writing down a plan, or a to-do list, reduces stress for the brain. Prioritize the most essential thing and don’t give in to any trivial thing to be a distraction.

I’m ready to drop my pen

But before I do, here is my final take

 From all that has been said, It’s so obvious that age doesn’t incapacitate you from being Productive. You sure would have missed so many opportunities when you were young, but it’s never too late to make an impact. If you are ready to use the strategies stated above, you can still influence lives and make something meaningful out of your life.

You shouldn’t wait for more time; try it out now!

Writer: Komolafe Gbemisola