August 25, 2026 | Issue Archive
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You Should Be Angry
There’s a lot to feel angry about right now.
AI is changing jobs and industries. Organizations are restructuring. Priorities are shifting. People are being asked to do more with less—and sometimes being told that what worked yesterday isn’t what’s needed tomorrow.
And that's before we even get to whatever you may be facing in your personal life.
Fear is natural in a moment like this.
So are confusion, doubt, and exhaustion.
But there’s another feeling I don’t talk about enough:
Anger.
And sometimes, you should be angry.
Anger gets a bad rap. We talk about managing it, controlling it, calming it down.
But anger can carry useful information.
This isn't right.
This isn't working anymore.
Something I care about is being threatened.
I've tolerated this long enough.
Something needs to change.
That doesn't mean anger is always right. And it certainly doesn't mean everything we do when we're angry is justified.
So:
Listen to your anger. Just don't let it lead.
When Calm Becomes a Trap
I teach Calm over Panic as the first of the 5 Choices because when our survival response takes over, our capacity to make good decisions goes down.
But I've learned there can be a trap hiding inside Calm, too.
I can find peace with almost anything.
I can look for the lesson. Find the meaning. Accept what is. Remind myself that everything will be okay.
Those can be wonderful practices.
But sometimes I've used them to become comfortable with something I shouldn't be comfortable with.
I calmed myself down...
and drove right past the exit.
Again.
And again.
The purpose of Calm isn't to convince yourself that everything is fine.
It's to get centered enough to see clearly.
So when anger shows up, instead of immediately acting on it—or immediately making it disappear—ask:
What's underneath this?
Has a boundary been crossed? Am I afraid? Am I grieving something? Do I feel powerless? Have I been avoiding a decision?
And ultimately:
What, if anything, actually needs to change?
Listen. Don't Water.
My friend Natalie Siston explores a related idea beautifully in her TEDx talk, built around the metaphor that our thoughts bloom.
What we repeatedly give our attention, energy and care to has a way of growing.
I think that's true of anger, too.
There's a difference between listening to anger and watering it.
You don't have to rehearse the offense, feed the grievance or stay angry to learn from what anger came to tell you.
Notice it.
Listen.
Get centered.
Then choose what deserves your energy next.
WATCH NATALIE'S TEDx TALK →
THIS ENDS NOW
Using Calm to avoid a change you know you need to make.
Peace is a gift. But peace isn't always evidence that you're on the right path.
Sometimes you've simply gotten comfortable enough to drive past the exit again.
THIS MOMENT MATTERS
Think of something that's been making you angry lately.
Before you react—or calm yourself enough to forget about it—ask:
What is this anger trying to tell me?
Then:
What actually needs to change?
Maybe the answer is nothing.
Maybe the change is inside you.
Or maybe there's an exit you've been driving past.
Get centered enough to see it.
Then decide whether it's time to take it.
Listen to your anger. Just don't let it lead.
Up we go—
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P.P.S. If you happen to know a team or an organization looking for a keynote speaker this fall, I'd be grateful for an introduction. Let's help them do more than just "get through" these crazy times.