166 PowerPhrases in Action
I have taken those tweezers through security in a hundred
different airports. Will you tell me why they are suddenly a
threat to our national security? I paid $20 for those tweez-
ers, and surrendering them is not an option for me. I’ll miss
my flight. Just let me go!Sandy ended up checking her bag and missing the earlier
flight. She was in quite a mood when she called me. She wanted
me to tell her, “I can’t believe they treated you that way!” I
wanted to say, “I can’t believe you spoke to them that way!” She
wanted me to tell her, “You should file a complaint!” I wanted
to tell her, “I’m grateful they didn’t put you in jail!”
Was Sandy justified to be angry? It’s possible. It really
doesn’t matter if she was right or not. Her response only made
the situation worse.
Remember: PowerPhrases get results. PowerPhrases are
designed to work for you. Sandy spoke in a way that worked
against her. Mark Twain has said, “Getting angry is easy. Any-
one can do that. But getting angry in the right way in the right
amount at the right time, now that’s hard!”
Can you do that? Can you get angry at the right time, in
the right way, and in the right amount? Polish off your Power-
Phrases and you will! Be short, specific, targeted, and say what
you mean and mean what you say, without being mean when
you say it.
PowerPhrases to Express Anger Are
Short
Passive people use too many words when they apologize for
being upset in order to lighten their anger and soften the blow.