YOU SHOULD BE ANGRY ABOUT THIS

"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned."

Buddha (563 BC-483 BC) Founder of Buddhism.

What good has your anger done for you?

You don't consciously decide to become angry but you can work to lessen the negative from being so.

THE HEART (AND BRAIN) OF THE MATTER

"Where the heart lies, let the brain lie also."

Robert Browning (1812 -1889) British poet.

Very poetic but when it comes to business, also difficult to do.

It's not a matter of the heart or brain (our emotional and rational selves) being in charge; neither needs to always follow the other.

Better the right one leads when circumstance calls for what each do best.

I'M JEALOUS OF YOU IF YOU NEVER ARE

"Jealousy is the jaundice of the soul."

John Dryden (1631-1700) British poet/dramatist/critic

Can there be a human emotion that affects all of us more deeply?

Be it if you must, I am from time to time, but try your best not to act on it.

I HATE TO TELL YOU

"Hatred. The anger of the weak."

Alphonse Daudet (1840-1897) French short-story writer/novelist

Some things, and people, need to be hated.

Just not most.

Be careful selecting what and who you choose to hate.

GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER

"It is well for the heart to be naive and the mind not to be."

Anatole France (1844-1924) French writer.

However, since the heart often rules the mind there can be problems, particularly when making investments.

When it comes to business listen to your heart but make decisions with your mind.

The Emotional Light

"There can be no transforming darkness into light and apathy into movement without emotion."

Carl Gustav Jung

Late 19th/early 20th century Swiss psychiatrist/psychologist

Emotionless effort gets you nowhere worth going; you need emotional effort to achieve most any goal worth achieving.

I'm Outraged!

"Exaggerated sensitiveness is an expression of the feeling of inferiority."

Arthur Adler

Late 19th/early 20th century Austrian medical doctor

Mind you, not being sensitized, only being overly so.

And not just for sensitiveness; when it comes to business it's a good idea to moderate all your emotions.

Running From Rather Than To

"I know what I am fleeing from, but not what I am in search of."

Michel Eyquem de Montaigne

16th century French philosopher

Ain't that the truth.  

And as bad as not knowing where we want to go is, little of what we flee from/fear, turns out to have been worth the angst and effort.

So, the lesson is, carefully examine our fears, putting aside the inconsequential, dealing with the remaining few, all the time never losing sight of the need to simultaneously focus on our goals.

The Role of Revenge

"Revenge converts a little right into a great wrong."

German proverb

Just as it does in our personal lives, so too does revenge play a role in our business decisions, with the only question being, to what degree?

It shouldn't because in theory, all we decide to do and not do should be based on unemotional facts, but that's not the way things work all the time.

To what extent are you guided by a desire to get even?  

The Role of Love in Business

"I love Mickey Mouse more than any woman I've ever known."

Walt Disney

Yesterday's quote had to do with hate and I've selected this one to make the opposite point.

I believe I understand Mr. Disney, given all that Mickey represented to his life's work, but what might his wife Lillian and his daughters Diane Marie and Sharon Mae have thought about that, not to mention Minnie Mouse?

As is true of hate, love is also a very strong word and we should be very careful when and how we use it, in our personal and business lives.

What do you think?

The Role of Hate in Business

"Hate is the consequence of fear. We fear something before we hate it."

Cyril Connolly
20th century English critic/author

A writer, particularly one who is also a critic, would recognize the role hate plays in our lives. And to this I would add envy.

So what about hate, fear and envy in business, and by that I don't mean that directed towards our competitors.

I'm talking about hate towards co-workers.