Overcoming The Brick Wall of Frustration
Everything changed the day I discovered the Brick Wall of Frustration — that frustration is a byproduct of every meaningful idea.
Until that point, I had no idea I was stuck in a process.
Once I finally understood detached observation, and I began observing the wall… and exactly how I was ‘stuck’. Holy shift.
Suddenly, so many past “failures” lined up and made sense. I hadn’t been incapable. I just hadn’t known how to move through frustration.
I’d been giving up when all I needed to do was yield my strife.
And incubate.
Instead of forcing the next step, I needed to get curious about why I was stuck.
The Lie Beneath Frustration
The lie I was telling myself wasn’t:
“I’m lazy.”
“I’m behind.”
“I’m undisciplined.”
Those were surface thoughts.
The root lie was, “I’m not capable.” And everything else branched from that.
What Really Happens at the Brick Wall
When someone hits a brick wall metaphorically, what happens?
Frustration.
Doubt.
Overwhelm.
Quitting.
But underneath that emotion is a belief: “If I were capable, this wouldn’t feel this hard.”
That’s the negative thought loop. That’s the inner critic at work.
Difficulty → Emotional reaction → “I must not be capable” → Pull back → Reinforce belief.
Round and round it goes. For more information on strategies to maneuver around the brick wall of frustration, or any frustration point, click here.
How Detached Observation Breaks the Loop
Detached Observation interrupts the cycle. Awareness of the brick wall interrupts the cycle as well. Awareness is absolute power.
It asks: “What am I believing right now?”
And suddenly, the wall isn’t proof of incapability.
It’s proof of growth tension.
That’s the shift.
The wall wasn’t evidence that I was incapable. It was evidence that I was building something beyond my current comfort.
Difficulty Is Not Disqualification
Once I understood the stages in the process of an idea, I stopped trying to push harder.
Instead, I asked better questions.
Why can I go no further in this project?
What is this friction revealing?
What can I learn here?
What’s in my way???
I began to see that difficulty was not disqualification.
It was development.
What the “I’m Not Capable” Lie Actually Causes
When someone believes “I’m not capable,” they:
Procrastinate
Over-research
Abandon projects mid-way
Start over repeatedly
Shrink their goals
Call it “being realistic”
Sound familiar?
Seeing the Wall Differently
Now that you understand there is a process in the journey of every idea, can you see the brick walls that have been stopping you?
More importantly —
Can you see that they were never stop signs?
I hope you also see new pathways to pursue — through them, over them, or around them.
Because the wall doesn’t mean stop.
It means think.
And if you want to learn how to think differently when you hit resistance —
Start with the full Brick Wall framework here.
Thank you for reading today! I’d love to hear from you!
Insightful notes from a good friend.
Each week, I share reflections, frameworks, and small shifts that help you recognize the brick wall sooner — and move through it with clarity.
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