When the Fire Is Frustration

Not all motivation feels clean.

Some of it burns.

The Wake Up Call

My mentor said one line that changed how I saw everything:

If you are going to have competition, it might as well be them.

That moment forced me to stop pretending nothing bothered me.

It woke up a fire I had been ignoring.

The Dark Motivator

I do not believe in building from anger forever.

But I do believe in using it wisely.

A dark motivator is temporary fuel.
It is the spark that pushes you to act.
It is not the foundation you stand on long term.

What Frustration Did for Me

Being undercut by people I trusted stung.

Instead of shutting down, I redirected the energy.

I asked better questions.
I refined my messaging.
I clarified what made my offer different.
I stopped blending in.

That frustration helped me build something better than what existed before.

If This Sounds Familiar

The next time someone:

Lowballs your pricing
Gives away the farm in bonuses
Undercuts you to win a client

Do not waste the sting.

Use it.

Let it sharpen your focus.
Let it clarify your value.
Let it push you forward.

Then come back stronger.

In it together,
- Ash