Getting Mad

The publisher’s letter in October’s Success magazine is about taking control of your life. Darren Hardy suggests: “The only way to take control of your life is to take responsibility for it”. Many of you will have heard the story Mark tells of being poked in the chest with an umbrella in an elevator. He said, “Man, that guy made me mad”, and his mate replied, “No, he poked you in the chest with an umbrella, you got mad all by yourself”.

No matter where you are, you have a choice about how to react. Whether it’s your boss, co-worker, spouse or child who is making you mad, you can choose to put aside your feelings and react calmly and with love.

I have found that the solution to the most difficult relationships at work, for me, is to outwardly give a positive, friendly, how can we make this work for each other vibe, no matter how hard it is for me. Sometimes it takes months, but in the face of that, I’ve found, no one can resist. Some days, the only reason I do it is the personal challenge, since every fiber of my being wants to react differently. But it can be done and it works.

To quote Oprah – the one thing I know for sure, is that fighting doesn’t work. Being argumentative does not achieve what I want to achieve. So try the other way. See if you can’t turn those relationships around.