The Alphas – The High Achievers
It does not really matter what line of excellence you are in. You could be a CEO or some other C-suite executive. You could be the starting pitcher in the World Series, the starting quarterback in the Super Bowl, or skiing for your nation’s Olympic team. You can be the top earner in pharmaceutical sales or the lead marketing executive, determining what demographic your company’s newly developed App is going to go viral with. You could be a high-power attorney preparing to try a multimillion dollar case, or a neurosurgeon about to perform brain surgery on a major politician.
If you are in the business of achieving at a high level, you walk around with the weight of the world on your shoulders all the time. And because you do so with such grace, most people don’t even realize it is heavy. Truth be told, this pressure that you face is not pressure; it is an opportunity for greatness. You know what the problem with achieving great things is?
People expect you consistently to achieve great things. Regardless of how many final shots Michael Jordan or LeBron James hit, there were always many more that were missed. And the price for greatness is unencumbered, perpetual, unrealistic expectations. Even if you fail 70% as a pro baseball player, you are still likely on your way to the Hall of Fame as a career .300 hitter; which means you must deal with failure and disappointment.
And, you know what else? The goals continue to be higher and loftier. You know what happens when someone or something gets in the way of your goals? We call that frustration, and frustration breeds anger, and anger, can lead to sabotage. This path is predictable, but avoidable.
There is one way that you can avoid such pressure. Don’t compete. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take and get the answers to 0% of the questions you don’t ask. If you want, you can walk away and not pursue excellence. If you want to be the best, you have to be willing to dare greatly, as Teddy Roosevelt once said. You have to go back into the arena. It is not about falling down. It’s about getting back up. It is the resilience that sets the stage for the phoenix rising. It is the refusal to be second. It is being stubborn and continuing to bring the fight. And guess one of the best power sources of this resilience is… You bet. Your friend and mine. ANGER.
"If you are in the business of achieving at a high level, you walk around with the weight of the world on your shoulders... People expect you consistently to achieve great things. Truth be told, this pressure that you face is not pressure; it is an opportunity for greatness..."
Anger, however, can be a complicated emotion. It can be dangerous. Dangerous to those around us. Dangerous to us. And, dangerous to us achieving our dreams. Suppose we focus on the destructive levels of anger when our cognitive skills lag. In that case, we lose our ability to manipulate our environment, develop relationships with those who can help us get there, close our ears to sage advice, and think too slowly to recognize the right time to pounce on an opportunity.
Let us not forget. Competition is everywhere. Someone wants to strike you out, beat you to the gold, close the deal before your bid is in, stand over you and gloat. Anger can absolutely help us compete, so long as we stay in the sweet spot. Angry enough to be motivated, energized, and tireless, but not to the point where our performance starts to slide. Moderate amounts of anger can help us find the Zone. If you want to be there more often, you want to manage your emotions.
The reason why anger is particularly important is because people reflexively deny it is there. Of course, it is there. Expect it. Befriend it. Harness it. And use that nuclear reactor of renewable energy to get shit done. Learn to #AdjustTheFlame