My husband likes to say that I use “anger for good”…and apparently I’m not the only one.
Let me preface this by saying that I am not a doctor, psychiatrist or any other type of clinical professional that might fully understand why anger makes us do what we do. I can say that anger and frustration have been a driving factor in many of my own accomplishments. It’s been a pretty big motivator in many of business and personal choices. In some cases I’ve become so beaten down by a job or project that I’ve decided to create my own solution to fix the problem.
For example, I became so disappointed with the struggles of dog rescue organizations, that I created and grew a nonprofit animal welfare organization just to help rescues and adopters. I started an online community for dog lovers because the JRTCA refused to post my dog, Katie’s, photo on their website because one of her legs wasn’t perfect. I sold that business three years ago. I’ve quit several full-time jobs because I’m an entrepreneur at heart and was too stifled as an employee. So, for me personally, anger gets my juices flowing and nudges me to act on problems that I think need to be solved (sometimes the problems of others and sometimes my own).
The HSUS recently posted a great blog post entitled “Anger into Action” and focuses on animal issues that festered to the point of anger – and the HSUS sent out to fix them. Animal welfare is such an emotionally driven sector that anger, controversy and exhaustion are often why a lot of what we do gets done. I think this post is a great example of HSUS using “anger for good.”
I’m still learning how to channel my anger in order to not let it get the best of me, and I will admit that its been a challenge. While my own frustrations might drive me, I still have to engage others in a professional manner, even when I don’t agree. Beth Kanter recently posted a fantastic blog post that includes some anger management tips from Carie Lewis at HSUS – Social Media Anger Management Tips from Carie Lewis, HSUS. I found these tips useful and I hope that you do too.
NPOs as a whole come from a need to solve a problem – and with problems come irritation, controversy and fatigue. I think that be learning how to use those feelings to inspire yourself and encourage others to act, you can quickly become the master of a very powerful tool. Bu, let the anger get the best of you, and you’ll just end up tired and beaten.
How do you manage your anger? Do you refocus it for good?
