Make Anger work for you

Christian D. Larson once wrote:
“Be too noble for anger.”

To noble for anger does not mean that you should not feel anger – just be too noble for it, and do not let it become a destructive force.

Everybody and I mean everybody gets mad with something or somebody at sometime other, and you should absolutely not repress emotions – ever. Even Gandhi got mad at certain points in his life, he, however, was an expert at using the energy anger gave him for something nobler, he never gave into anger and he never let it turn to hate or violence – the exact opposite.

Let me give you an example:

Somebody criticises you at work: Now, at this stage you can spit dust and throw an absolute wobbler at the person criticising you, or worse still go into your shell and just feel mad on the inside, and brood all day

Or

The noble root:

Use that anger to do the very thing you were criticised for – 30 times better next time round, use that anger as a catalyst to start looking at ways of finding a new and more prosperous career path, use the adrenalin anger gives you to do something spontaneous, something you have always wanted to do, but have been afraid to: go chat to that boy/girl you have always been attracted too. Whatever you do, use that power to your advantage and create something amazing from it.

Gandhi on Anger
“I have learned through bitter experience the one supreme lesson to conserve my anger, and as heat conserved is transmuted into energy, even so our anger controlled can be transmuted into a power which can move the world.”
— from Gandhi the Man, by Eknath Easwaran, Nilgiri Press.

The World Class Boxer vs. his mediocre opponent:

The 2 of them step into the ring, stare each other in the eye and get themselves so wound up that they look like they are about to kill each other. When the bell goes for round 1, the world class boxer channels his power and energy into boxing beautifully and intelligently, the mediocre boxer will fight like a headless chicken, be made to look an idiot, and get his ass whooped in the process.

So next time you are doing a round with anger – be the world class boxer. 99.9999% of the population choose the mediocre route – why not be different?

Anger can give you tremendous energy; the trick is to use that energy for something worthwhile and not for something destructive.

As ever we leave you with some inspiration and no more appropriate time for the passage by Christian D. Larson – you might recognise some text in here.

Promise Yourself
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature you meet.
To give so much time to improving yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud word, but in great deeds.
To live in the faith that the whole world is on your side, so long as you are true to the best that is in you.
Christian D. Larson