Frustrated?

Today a friend asked me the question, "Why are people so frustrating?"

It got me thinking, maybe people aren't really that frustrating. Maybe most of us just aren't understanding enough to appreciate where someone is coming from or why they have done or said certain things, and so we have a negative reaction...frustration.

I know, some people are actually frustrating - perhaps even intentionally so. But I am beginning to think that maybe most of the time it isn't their fault...it's our own. We are so busy with our stuff to stop and think through what that person has said or done so that we can better understand it.

I work with a number of Cree and Metis clients on a regular basis, and at first they frustrated me a great deal because they did certain things or wouldn't pay attention to other things that I had asked of them. But as I start learn more about their culture and the way they think and live, what they do and say starts to make a bit more sense. They just understand things in a different way. In fact I am probably frustrating them quite a bit too.

So next time we get frustrated by a person we encounter in our daily race to the finish line, perhaps we should slow down a bit and try to be understanding...it'll probably reduce our frustration...and even the amount of stress we feel!!

Happy American Thanksgiving!!