…Do you ever feel that weird tension in the room that you can’t quite put your finger on?
…Have you argued with your spouse (or a close friend) about something they did, or didn’t do, that “let you down?”
…Do you get frustrated when people don’t respond like you think they should?
Mike Bonem & Roger Patterson explain it this way in Leading From The Second Chair, “The gap between expectation and reality is filled with frustration.”
You could call that frustration..tension.
There is a tension created when we perceive something one way but the reality is quite different.
There are conversations that I find myself in where I can’t quite explain it, but I simply feel frustrated. Many times that tension has more to do with “me” than “them.” I have a natural and preconceived notion of how someone should respond to certain stimuli, and when they surprise me, or simply respond differently than I anticipate..there is tension.
And I know you’ve experienced this same feeling, too.
But is there a way to harness this tension and make it useful, much like we take a river’s current and create electricity?
Awareness is key..and that awareness should then lead to action which will create synergy..Peter Senge explains it well in The Fifth Discipline:
We are acutely aware of the gaps between our vision and reality…these gaps can make a vision seem unrealistic or fanciful. They can discourage us or make us feel hopeless. But the gap between vision and current reality is also a source of energy. If there was no gap, there would be no need for any action to move toward the vision. Indeed the gap is THE source of creative energy. We call this gap creative tension.
So..tension is good.
Tension is normal.
Are you frustrated by situations where tension is apparent?
Could you harness that tension to create something useful?
The Tension is Good : Aaron Keyes from Catalyst on Vimeo.
(for more tension-talk, sign up today for the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta October 6-8, 2010)
believer, husband, father, musician, worship leader, executive pastor, social media socialite, novice blogger
