Progress is how quickly you can come back

Susan Piver writes about meditation, fear and the other negative emotions:

I once ran into a friend and fellow practitioner as I was exiting a contentious business meeting. He could see that I was upset. (My sobbing must have given me away.) I explained what had happened at the meeting and then expressed dismay at the weakness of my Buddhist practice: “I must be a very poor practitioner if one jerk can throw me so completely into hysterics.” He said, “So you think that not getting upset is a sign of progress?” I realized that I had been hoping it was. “No,” he said. “Progress is how quickly you can stabilize your attention on what you’re feeling. Progress is how quickly you can come back.”

Full article here.

I too believe that if I just practice hard enough, long enough, I will stop feeling the negative emotions; I would be "purified". Each time I find myself angry, jealous, arrogant - I tell myself that I have not practiced hard enough. Or, that I have failed somehow.

I need to remember this.