😡Anger. Divisiveness. Name calling. Bullying.
It Seems Like Anger is Everywhere Today
Sound familiar? It does if you ever turn on the news or follow social media (and who of us doesn’t?). It’s pretty much everywhere. Or so it seems.
And understandably so! There’s a lot to be angry about when almost weekly we learn of yet another abhorrent incident that would make even the most grounded folks feel enraged. It leaves us wondering:
What is wrong with people??
How can this be happening??
Why isn’t anyone doing anything to stop it??
Is Anger Working? Can It Drive Social Impact?
So if you feel yourself being drawn into the darkness (and you’re not alone!), I want to propose a better way forward. Ask yourself this question, “Is anger working for me?”
The even better question might be: Is anger working in our world?
What do I mean?
We often think of there being two types of emotions…the good and the bad. The good ones are things like love, peace, joy, happiness. We all know the “bad” ones: anger, rage, shame, guilt, resentment.
In truth, emotions aren’t good or bad. They just are – and we experience a full range of emotions if we’re alive and aware.
It’s not healthy to just express the “good” emotions while stuffing down the “bad” ones. This leads to mental and physical illness. But we’re not meant to get stuck in our emotions, either. We need to feel them, let them move through us, and release them.
Why Anger is Not an Effective Tool for Social Impact
I would submit that what we’re seeing today in our world is a lot of unhealthy and “stuck” emotions. Wounds that have never healed. Children who have never grown up. And, sadly, many of those in leadership positions are struggling with this.
So is jumping on their bandwagon really the best solution for us personally? Not for me!
Why not? Because in my experience, anger is not an effective tool for social impact. Or, frankly, for anything productive. Anger is just another form of fear. It gets in the way of finding solutions, of being light in the darkness.
And this energy of anger, of fear, of darkness explodes out into the world in rage, violence, and war.
Changemakers Know the Secret to Overcoming Anger
If we want to be effective as change-makers, philanthropists, humanitarians – as human beings – anger is not the answer. Why not? Because anger cannot be overcome by anger.
The secret to overcoming anger is by expressing the opposite – love, compassion, tolerance, and patience. 💜
It doesn’t help for us to be drawn into the darkness. It doesn’t help for us to be hating on people who believe differently than we do.
To be effective, we need to show up differently. And we can!
Let anger be the spark that leads to inspired action.
It’s not so much what you’re against – it’s what you’re for.
Let peace be the path you take to impact. If we create our reality – then let’s create the peaceful world we dream of.
This is why at AWE Partners, we recognize that the inner work is as important – and even more important – than the outer, if we want to make our AWE-thentic Impact. When we do the inner work of healing our anger, grief, trauma, and feelings of separation, we can then be open to the inner wisdom of the authentic self which lies at our core.
The result is more clarity, guidance, and authentic personal power. Now, we can confidently take action from a place of love, compassion, and balance, rather than coming out fighting.
Small Steps to BIG Impact
Want to learn more about our AWE-Inspiring approach for inner and outer transformation? Join my upcoming Facebook Challenge…Grow Your Business – Grow Your Impact For More Passion, Purpose & Profit.
Register for FREE right here! Can’t attend the live sessions? No worries, we’ve gotcha covered! You’ll get access to listen to the replays at your convenience.
Know someone else who’s ready to make a difference in the world and leave their legacy? Please spread the word and share this link. I look forward to seeing you there!
Be Bold. Be Daring. Be AWE-dacious!
