It’s no wonder I was so attracted to punk music in my youth. I was one angry girl back in the day.
It didn’t take much to set my red-hot temper off. (My “screwdriver incident” is legendary around here but I’ll save that story for another time.)
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve mellowed. It might be my age or perhaps my yoga practice, but losing my cool is so passé. That doesn’t mean that I’m all Zen 24/7. Far from it. There are things that still get my goad but these days but I’m more likely to look for a solution instead of a screwdriver. My brand of fury these days is usually reserved for injustice or maddening, frustrating situations where there is an obvious solution. This type of outrage is best described as: compassionate anger.
Todd Henry, founder of The Accidental Creative, defines “compassionate anger” as anger / frustration / bitterness / annoyance COMBINED with a desire to do something about it.
He writes: certain things in the world “evoke a desire to intervene in a situation as an act of compassion or to rectify a great wrong.”
What riles me up these days?
I feel compassionate anger when…
- Lame, self defeating attitudes from mystically-inclined entrepreneurs.
- People refusing to take personal responsibility for their lives.
- Sloppiness, carelessness, sleaziness.
- Fellow mystics undercharging, underearning, or being whack with their money.
- “Bad manners” and lack of online etiquette.
- Addicts and homeless people who aren’t getting the full support and help they need.
- Plagiarism! Argh!
- Cruelty in any form.
- Petty jealousy, amongst peers and colleagues, especially between women.
- A stunning lack of hippo cookies (ha!)
So what am I doing (or have already done) about these things?
I’ve created a series of guidebooks for Professional Mystics to help them learn how to up their game, shift their businesses to the next level and learn how to behave like a pro.
I’ve written a popular blog post about online plagiarism and I’ve spoken with my husband to a group of students about the subject at UWM Stout.
I’ve been hanging out with and supporting some mighty fine female entrepreneurs and encouraging other women to do the same (no more business frenemies!).
I was involved in homeless rights but, now, I try to donate to charities that support the poor and addicts as much as I can. I also donate to causes that teach non-violence to inner city youth.
I created The Kindness Hustle, an e-course designed to encourage little acts of kindness every day. All proceeds go to charity.
I discovered that Amazon delivers hippo cookies. Schwing!
And personal responsibility – my readings always encourage that. I’m not a fatalist – I believe we all have the opportunity to change our lives once we see where we might be headed and other possible paths of action. We can work with our fate and tweak it by assuming responsibility and bringing awareness for each and every choice we make. Nothing is ever cut in stone. (PS I also try to take total responsibility for my own actions.)
Even with all that, I still try to look at where I can still help. Trust me, the work is never done.
There are always more things to create, more blog posts to write, more places to donate, more hippo cookies to eat (yes, I get mad when I run out and have to substitute them with Whoppers or some other treat).
So what about you? Do you have compassionate anger too? I’d like you to ask yourself these questions “What do I feel compassionate anger about? What’s on my compassionate anger list? Could I address some of those things in my business, through my writing, through a personal choice, mission or project? Instead of just complaining or being mad, what do I intend to do about it? How can I alleviate suffering for myself and for others?”
When you feel compassionate anger, pay attention. That’s a powerful emotion. It’s often a clue as to what kind of work you ought to be doing, where you ought to be placing your focus, and where you can roll up your sleeves to alleviate suffering and serve the world.
Blessings!
Theresa
© Theresa Reed | The Tarot Lady 2015
image from stock photography
I’m Theresa Reed (aka, The Tarot Lady). I’ve been a full-time tarot reader for 30+ years — which, in my industry, makes me pretty badass.
I’m definitely not your average Tarot expert — I drop the F-bomb, I quote rappers, and I’m obsessed with pop culture + reality TV. Folks come to me for straight-talk + tough-love — without the woo-woo fluff. 
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