There have been times when i have lost my patience, become too anxious and then tried to force something to happen. Those situations rarely, if ever, came out the way i had hoped. In fact, it almost invariably ended up making the situation worse. Part of the challenge of leading a more balanced and informed life is knowing the difference between proactive choices that move you forward and forced choices which are the product of fear, anxiety and frustration. Choices which are the product of fear, anxiety and or frustration are at their root the real life expression of our own arrogance which tells us that we can force the universe to give us the result which we desire. That is obviously not the case. A rope is at its best when we pull it towards us, or use it to secure something we want to protect, it is useless when we try to push it towards our goal. I often find my self comforted by the realization that "you cannot push a rope''.