Anger and Conviction: Turning Passion into Progress

Anger and Conviction

Anger is not a productive emotion.

But anger can be a gasp of desperation produced by another sensation: hope.

Any passionate person will experience their own anger at some point.

If you care about this job and its place in society, there will be friction between what it could be and what it is. And it will make you angry.

Trust me, you will regret misdirected anger. Practice temperance with your loved ones, your friends, and anyone under your mentorship.

But you can’t deny anger. Denying emotions is a lie you tell to yourself.

Instead, learn to use it.

My grandfather, who I admire, was an angry man. His temper came from confidence. He was bold. He knew exactly what he wanted. He was so damn sure of himself. And when he saw stupidity it made him angry. He wouldn’t tolerate incompetence. He had standards, for himself and the things he built. His men feared and respected him.

I don’t mean to romanticize anger. There are healthier leadership tactics and more attractive qualities in a man. When you lose your temper, you lose your power. Still, my grandfather felt powerful to me as a young man. His anger was never fueled by hate. It was a result of a demand for doing the right thing and a refusal to suffer anything less.

Many great leaders were hotheads. Does that mean you should aspire to be angry? No. You’ll never be proud of yourself when you’re angry. Keeping your cool in the midst of intensity is a powerful skill.

But you will get angry. It’s an indicator that you still care. And that’s good.

There is a different kind of anger that I see today. It’s a combination of ignorance and fear. Anger rooted in a misunderstanding of oneself among others. The anger of a fool.

We don’t need more anger. We definitely don’t need more fools. We need conviction.

I eventually realized that what I respected about my grandfather was that he wasn’t soft. He had a spine. He walked with sure steps across this earth. He had conviction — the kind that leads to good work and standards of conduct that make us all better.

We don’t like to talk about anger… because to most people, anger means hate. You and I know it’s not about that. We know it means passion.

But anger won’t get things done. So go ahead, pal. Be angry. But turn that anger into conviction — and turn conviction into progress.