Anger Management: Don't Kick The Cat!

Don't kick the cat!

We all have days like this.  You think you're completely relaxed.  You think you are going to have a great day.  Then the first person you see just says or does something to ruin your day.  All of a sudden you're upset...you just can't manage your anger.  How and why do we go from 0-60 like this?  Don't kick the cat!

Don't kick the cat!

Or maybe, your day just started off poorly.  Your alarm clock didn't go off and you wake up and instantly have to rush out of the house skipping breakfast.  You're already running late and then you get stuck in traffic.  Your stomach is rumbling with hunger and someone cuts you off.  You want to go faster but you have no control over the traffic.  When you finally make it to work, the last person you want to see when you walk in the door is your boss.  Guess who is the first person you see?  Your boss!  And what do they say?  You're late!  You're mad at everyone at that moment.  You're mad at yourself for waking up late.  You're mad at your clock for not working right.  You're mad at the traffic, the drivers that cut you off, and your boss for acknowledging something you already knew.  Don't kick the cat!

Don't kick the cat!

Regardless of the cause of your anger, don't kick the cat!  This is a story I heard in an audiobook by Zig Zigler: See You At The Top.  I'll just give you a quick version of it because I can't do it justice the way he does.  You'll have to read the book for the best rendition.

Let's say the boss arrives late and because he's mad and doesn't want to draw attention to him being late, he enters the office and yells at his vice president for not completing a sale.  Now, the vice president is mad and he walks by his secretary.  He yells at her for not providing the files he asked for yesterday.  Now, the secretary is upset.  When she gets home, she sees mud tracked across the floor.  She finds her son and yells at him for not removing his shoes at the door.  Now her son is upset.  As he's storming off, their pet cat crosses his path.  And you guessed it!  He kicks the cat!

Don't kick the cat!

The main thing to take away from this story is that we all have days where we get angry for whatever reason.  It's often difficult at the time but you have to realize why you're angry or who you're really angry with.  You don't want to take your anger out on the wrong person...especially if you really care about this person.  It's better to use anger management than to start the anger domino affect that will end with a cat getting kicked.