Frustration: The Seed of Vision
By David Shrum | Ascend Leadership & Development
We often assume a thrilling vision is born out of inspiration—like a strike of lightning or a falling apple that delivers divine revelation. We hear someone share an “aha” moment and think, Man, I wish I would’ve had that idea.
But when you actually slow down and listen to how these moments happen, most of them don’t immediately occur as gifts from On High. More often than not, they’re born out of nagging frustrations.
The first dishwasher was created by Josephine Cochrane because her fine china kept chipping while being hand-washed. And I can’t imagine Newton getting cracked in the head by falling fruit is what I’d call a pleasant afternoon. But frustration has a way of sparking new vision.
So what sets visionaries apart?
Opportunity
They seize the opportunity inside frustration.
Newton. Cochrane. And an infinite number of other inventors solved problems—sometimes for themselves, sometimes for the world—because they saw frustration not as an insurmountable wall, but as an opportunity. They looked at the complaint in all its glorious potential.
I like to describe complaints as the photonegative of the world we’d love to be living in.
Frustrated with a team member? Opportunity.
Frustrated with your own performance? Opportunity.
Frustrated with a system, a habit, a relationship dynamic? Opportunity.
Frustration can be an invitation to slow down, recognize the complaint, examine it, and wonder:
What would I like to be experiencing instead?
The Obvious
Some of you might be thinking, Well no duh. The opposite of my complaint is what I want. Why spend time on that?
And I think that’s the crucial piece—we should then be asking ourselves:
Why?
Why is this so important to you? And I don’t mean “answer it fast so you can move on.” I mean sit there. Honestly spend time there. Don’t sprint past it.
Once you come up with a reason, ask why again. Then again.
You may be surprised by what starts surfacing.
Because in my experience, most surface-level frustrations are symptoms of a deeper disease process. And that deeper issue is what you actually want to solve for—not just the first irritation that got your attention.
The Start of Solving the Problem
Once you can no longer answer “why” with anything meaningful, that’s where solving begins.
If possible, I like to score my current reality on a simple scale:
0/10 = the worst experience
10/10 = the best experience imaginable
This isn’t “objective measurement.” It’s subjective. It’s about clarity, not courtroom evidence. And if it landed on your list of frustrations, it probably isn’t a 10.
Once you’ve scored your current experience, spend time journaling:
What would a 10/10 experience look like?
How would I know I’m experiencing this at a 10?
What would actually be happening in my life, my work, my relationships?
This is the start.
Not the solution.
But these first steps are powerful. If you’re willing to take your frustrations seriously—and examine them for what they could be—they might be exactly what you need to begin envisioning a thrilling experience for your life.
They might be the seed of a garden that needs time, attention, water, and exposure to the sun.
Next week, we’ll look at a problem I call “More, Less, and Someday.”