Use your Anger

"Usually when people are sad, they don't do anything. They just cry over their condition. But when they get angry, they bring about a change." -James Russell Lowell

I picked out this particular quote back when I was a little more consistent with my writing. I must say, this does not have the same meaning that it once did, but I would still like to share a personal experience about it.

Back when I worked for a local credit union, I was overwhelmed by the fact that the small credit union was being taken over by the 8th largest credit union in the United States. I felt confident that I would survive in this new environment. This may have been a lofty goal, since I worked in one of the smallest branches at the time. In fact, one of my co-workers mentioned to me that my branch was going to be shut down. I was a confident manager, and I was not overly concerned that I would make it. I worked hard to be a stand out for the new organization and was later promoted to a larger branch. Job secure, right?

As time went on I began to believe that I could be the next Area Manager for the credit union. I put in my application and went through the process to be the new AVP. And then, I didn't get it. In fact I was passed over for an external hire. Devastating!

The next year was tough, my wife went in for 2 surgeries to try and correct damage from a car accident a few years before. My employees were working hard to learn the new systems and processes that were expected of them. My staff felt the pain of growing and so did I. I believed that during this time, I was being deprived of needed resources such as personnel and equipment. I asked for the proper resources again and again, but to no avail. I finally wrote a letter/email to my boss about the perceived injustices that were occurring, and I sent a copy to his boss. Finally, I got a response, but not the response that I was expecting. My boss called me into his office, and chewed me out for it. I left his office mad, then I got a call from his boss. Now I was getting chewed out by him. I was not a happy camper to say the least.

So, what does any of this have to do with the quote for today?

Each of the interactions leading up to this altercation between my boss and I were cordial. I was working hard, giving all I had and I felt that I was not being recognized for the effort that was being exerted, but on the other hand, I may have been perceived as whiner... crying over the things that were not going well. But now, I was mad, and I did not want the circumstances around me to define me. And that is exactly when things started to change. I decided that I was going to work harder, but on the things that I could control. I was fortunate that my boss saw some value in what I had been telling him and I was given the equipment that I needed. I worked more with my team, training them, pushing them to be better, and they did not disappoint. Within 6 months the branch was leading the charge for improvement and soon my boss's boss noticed and gave me the additional body that I had been asking for.

I realize that some may look at this and see two very different perspectives about why the change occurred. Maybe I whined too much and they couldn't ignore me. Maybe the results of the team drew the attention that our efforts needed to be seen. Regardless of which reason you see, the result was the same.

I did get angry. I was angry at others, angry at circumstances, and if I am honest, angry with myself for not reaching the heights on which I had set my sights, but once I changed, I received everything I wanted and more.

The year of 2012 was a rough year for me, it was when I was the most angry. By the end of 2013, AFTER I changed, I was awarded the Manager of the Year award for the entire region. So go ahead, get mad, get angry, and then CHANGE!

Another Attempt at a Goal

"The desire to write, grows with writing" -Desiderius Erasmus

I must admit, it has been a while since I have written anything from my blog. Back in 2012, when I started this blog, I had every intention on being very consistent, but even my best intentions were not realized on this project.

In the time that has passed since my last post, I helped to care for my wife through 2 major surgeries, I started school again, and just finished my MBA at Utah Valley University in the summer of 2015.

Now I have found that I have more time on my hands than I am use to, so, I must do something productive. Ultimately, I hope that my writing will get to the point that I can write a book, but even I realize that if I don't get better at writing, then I will never get to the point where I am able to write a whole book. So, here is my second attempt at my goal. I hope that I am better at it this time around.

As the blog states, this site is about quotes in ACTION. Today I am taking action and restarting the goal that I let slide. If you have goals that you have let slide, it's okay. Recommit yourself today to take action and get back to it. Good luck and take action!!