pianoLike all children learning to play a musical instrument, my daughter gets frustrated when she has to play the scales.  At such times, with frustration, she decides she doesn’t want to play piano anymore.

Playing piano is an art.  It is learned through practice.  Even if you are enlightened, it doesn’t mean you are a good pianist.  It requires practice.

Perhaps the most challenging art in all of life is dealing with people.  It takes practice. Frustration is part of that process.  Like children with music, adults often feel inclined to give up on learning the art of dealing with people.  They would prefer to live in a bubble, isolated from the world.  This is just like the ostrich burying his head in the sand.  The ostrich may think that makes him safe, but in truth, it makes the ostrich more susceptible to danger.

The simple truth is that life is all about people.  Your ability to deal with people directly affects the degree to which you are successful in life.  Success in this regard is measured on all levels: personal fulfillment, financial success, happiness, the list goes on.  The sooner you accept that and dedicate yourself to cultivating the art of dealing with people, the better off you will be.  As with playing the scales, you will become frustrated.  You will hit the wrong note many times, but practice makes perfect.

I offer many tools to assist you in the process.  It takes time to learn those tools, but learning them is just the beginning.  You must practice their application over and over again.  You are not just learning to play a musical instrument here.  You are embarking upon the greatest challenge of life, second only to the attainment of enlightenment.

© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.