NBA Star Praises Anger Management

This is adapted from an article in the Los Angeles Times.

NBA player Ron Artest, who gained infamy in 2004 when he jumped into the stands and punched a fan during a game-stopping brawl between fans and players, is seeking public redemption by raffling off his new NBA championship ring for charity.
The proceeds, which he hopes will exceed $1 millon, will be used to fund mental health services for youths who can't afford the counseling.
Artest became a poster boy for NBA bad behavoir after the 2004 melee, which resulted in his being suspended for 73 games, amounting to a loss of about $6 million in salary, he said. Artest was then playing with the Indiana Pacers, against the home team Detroit Pistons.
Upon his return to the NBA, Artest bounced around from the Sacramento Kings to the Houston Rockets and eventually landing with the Los Angeles Lakers, which won the NBA championship last season.
It was during the victory celebration that Artest publicly credited an anger management professional with turning his life around, and now he wants to further public acceptance for people in need of mental health care.
His court-order anger management transformed him, he said.
"A great facilitator made me reach deep, into my lies, deep, into my vices.
As one of the league's premier defenders, Artest made few excuses for his admittedly aggressive behavior, but then a secret slipped out.
In front of the largest global TV audience ever for an NBA final game, Artest surprised viewers with an announcement: "I want to thank my anger management provider."
With those words, he opened up his personal life, and as a sports celebrity, he took a step toward destigmatizing mental health care, observed Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-California. Napolitano enlisted the help of the NBA star to push the Mental Health in Schools Act, which would provide $200 million in funding for on-site counseling for students with issues.
"Having someone to talk to is very important. There's no shame in asking for help," Artest said.
When he was 13, his parents split up. "As a kid, I had a bad temper," Artest said. "As an adult, I was a bad father, and I had to speak to somebody about that."

If you need anger management please don't hesitate to call the Anger Management Institute.
510.393.0250

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Workplace Stress Is A Workplace Disaster

Some people are calling Steven Slater, a flight attendant for Jet Blue, a hero. He stood up to a passenger who, reports indicate, was being rude and physically assaulting. Some say Slater's behavior challenges the concept "the customer is always right," while others' hold the employer responsible for caring more about passenger than the employee. I believe the true reason for his, and others behavior was workplace stress and a lack of behavior training for long time employees. In my opinion employers fail to provide small behavior training's because they prioritize familiarity and experience in the job over personal growth and well being of the employees. What I see is a lack of balance between training for the job and training the people who do the job.

Examples of workplace stress are showing up all over the nation and can be seen in the media almost daily. I understand all the reasons for workplace stress, however, it is my belief that all employees should have continuous training. Events like the Jet Blue incident can be offset by short training's, at least once a quarter, in anger/stress management, as well as emotional intelligence and communication. These programs should be designed especially, but not exclusively, for employees who have considerable interaction with the public. This is important for long time employees.

When In A Funk!

Picasso's greatest artistic period was as a result of being in a deep funk. Years ago when I was in a funk a friend of mine told me this story about Picasso's funk.

As the story goes, Picasso was painting in hues of yellow. While painting in these hues of yellow on a canvas in his studio he got stuck with where to go next with his painting. He began to grumble and moan and as the day wore on Picasso simply became down right unruly to his wife. While working in the kitchen her husbands constant grumbling and bad attitude started driving her nuts. No longer able to maintain her silence she said with great attitude of her own @&!&@&#*&! just throw any color on the @%@@^@&@@^ canvas!

Feeling very obstinate Picasso did throw a totally opposite color on the canvas which I think was suppose to shock his wife initially however what it did was take him in a totally different direction artistically. The painting lead to his most famous artistic Blue Period.

I learned three things from the story one of which is never never impose my funk on anyone else hence the name "my funk"; and secondly, when in a funk, do something completely different maybe even out-of-the-box maybe not drastic just different; and lastly never underestimate the power of a funk because what can be there is something rich full and abundant.

Dunno if some of the facts of the story have fallen by the wayside since first hearing it years ago however the bottom-line is a funk can be a rich fertile place to work from.

Do Something Different!

It may be a small a matter, or maybe not, however, if you haven't noticed anger can't be overcome by more anger. If a person is directing their anger to you and you show anger in return, the result is 99% certain to be a disaster. In contrast, try to control your anger. Do something different—think before you react, show compassion, show patience, or even walk away until the issue can be talked about. Not only will you remain at peace and avoid confrontation, but the anger of the others and yourself will gradually dissipate.

Time Out! Not Just For Kids

An angry customer is sure bait for an argument, however, an argument can't proceed without a participant. Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by speaking and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent. If you feel that a customer is making you escalate in your anger, use time-out. You learned that approach in Kindergarten.

Taking a time-out will immediately help to de-escalate anger before it becomes too intense. Quick burst of intense anger leads to verbal and physical abuse for many people. Use the time-out technique to avoid the anger trap. When taking a time-out try repeating one of these affirmations:

I don't need to prove myself in this situation.

I can stay calm.

As long as I keep my cool, I'm in control of myself.

No need to doubt myself, what other people say doesn't matter.

I'm the only person who can make me mad or keep me calm.

I need to take time to relax and slow things down.