Three Reasons Why It's Good To Be Angry

Oscar Wilde once said "the world belongs to the discontented."  Tom Peters once advised to never promote people that weren't angry.  And last but not least, Seth Godin once blogged that "Angry people are different".  And they're all spot on--and not just because guru's are always spot on.  But because last week I was angry and I friggin loved it.

Embracing your anger may be the most radical idea since pole dancing as cardio, but I'd like to suggest it to all those reading. Below are 3 benefits I've encountered by embracing my inner grumpy.

1. My productivity skyrocketed--Honestly, I was driven by the need to prove a point.  Perhaps it's my insistence on being right or maybe it's just the rebel in me.  But if you think I'm not ready, I'll show you that I am.  So I took the feedback and made it applicable.  All of a sudden I was stepping outside of my comfort box, influencing my peers, embracing challenges, and even opening myself up to being wrong.  I was doing all the things that are in the "how to be a great leader" manual and, at the same time, all the things that I deemed difficult...until I became angry. 

2. My credibility skyrocketed--Credibility isn't always earned when you're young in your career; in fact, most of the time it's given. The notion that it can be earned at twenty-something gives a false sense of control.  As my mentor once said, "the only way to be credible is to be GREAT".  For most of us rat racers, great is still in the eyes of the boss beholder. Once my productivity improved, my beholder felt I was producing great things and producing them in a timely manner.  Ask Gen X, achievements that are packaged as "validated" are a much easier pill to swallow than achievements that just make you feel good... 

3. Good feelings skyrocketed--I tell you what, it's a lot easier to feel good things when "really really bad" is your starting point.  Finding a reason to actually stop and smell some daggone roses is difficult when you're on a roll, but when your world begins to resemble that of a septic tank, trust me you're searching for a rose!...Any rose!  My anger gave life to niceties that are often ignored in a weak attempt to manage performance by prioritizing thank you's. 

I'm not suggesting that we all walk around mad but with benefits like these, it certainly makes it easier to accept that smiling really CAN hurt your health...   

Comments

[Tiffany]

Hey Kiersten, nice to see you writing.

I too work really well when I get angry. I thank those that make me angry for helping me out even though they didn't want to. Prime example, my mother-in-law is constantly telling me that it will not be easy to find a great salary once I graduate and that connections are what matter in "society today". Her underestimation of me always wakes up that, "I'll show her" side of me and I 'm able to get A's just to prove my point of how successful I am and will be.

Although, people do laugh when I'm angry because I say "Argghh" and sound like a pirate. It makes sense though because pirates were always angry so that definitely applies.

[jackie w.]

Being angry can be good for you. Anger forces you to push yourself, to step up and step out. My own anger at the pecking order frustrated me so much. I decided that I would use that anger and make it laser point sharp. Let's just say that I not only stepped up and out of the box, I turned around and drop kicked the box for getting in my way in the first place. Kier, your future is so bright, I have to wear daggone sunshades when I am around you.