Page 25 - GM-Don't Bee Angry
P. 25

EXERCISE
Although most people think that they have no control over their anger, (because they mistakenly believe it is caused by events or others) nothing could be further from the truth. This control is not about forcing yourself not to get angry, it is about evaluating your thinking to determine if your anger is appropriate.
Let’s use this example. A classmate bumps into you while walking to the front of class. He looks at you and says that he is sorry. Would you or should you, get angry? You can tell yourself, “That punk did that on purpose, no one is going to push me around.
I should push (hit, threaten) him so he knows better next time.” I am sure that you can see that this thinking, (even when it happens so fast that you are not really aware of it) will
cause anger.
But what would happen if you told yourself, “I am feeling angry... STOP! It may have been an accident; he did say he was sorry. Is there really any reason to get angry? Just nicely tell him to be careful next time.” By thinking about it more rationally, you will come up with an alternative to being angry and fighting.
The point is not that anger is never appropriate. The point is for you to evaluate when it is or is not appropriate, so that you can choose to behave in a Thumbs Up manner.
Here are some typical anger generating situations ... choose the most appropriate thinking.
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