Aggregate Aggression

I wouldn’t think that controlled aggression could be put to good use. I thought any type of aggression was bad aggression. We are all prone to it. Some it takes some pushing to get there. Some are passive with it. And, yet others have learned to harness it and put it to good use.

It’s there, on some level in all of us. We would not have become the dominate species on this earth had we not had some level of it in ourselves. Repressing it is exactly what you don’t want to do as it will usually manifest into passive aggressive behavior which can be far more damaging. Repressing it also only makes you bring it inward on yourself.

For me, it usually is a great best practice to add aggression into a physical activity. My best runs are the runs after work where I just got obliterated from multiple angles. I’d pour that aggression right into some intervals not the treadmill. Not bringing it home and bringing it to the gym is a great way to get it out. It’s protected my relationships that I care most about from suffering or being the unwilling bucket of my bad day. Not to mention it’s help me stay active and fit.

The first thing we need to do is confront our aggression and face it. Where is it coming from? What is causing it? Have I been in this situation before? Why am I here again? Is there a common trigger that is causing it? Our aggression can also come from insecurities.

Once we understand our aggression, we can direct it and focus it. It can become the catalyst we’ve been waiting for to fuel us towards our goals or priorities. It can be rocket fuel and the explosive energy we need to step out into the front lines of our best work. It can be the enabler we’ve needed to give us that higher sense of purpose and intentionality.

The interesting thing and byproduct I’ve discovered becoming skilled at recognizing my aggression when it’s there, is how aware I am of when it is happening in others. There have been several times where I might have been the unknowing victim of a bully. But, because I saw aggression for what it was in someone else before I was approached, I was able to understand their vulnerabilities and use those to my advantage to overcome the aggressor.

Aggression is okay to have when it’s caught, understood, and used with purpose. Only when we can be self-aware that we have it and help others see it happening in themselves can it be used towards a goal we want to achieve. Unchecked and unseen, we can become swept away by it and mislead. Once you can accept it’s existence you can begin to improve your life.

Hope you week starts off great. Thanks for reading!

✌🏻 Shawn