It can seem, at times, like their words, actions, or even general presence haha is like a button that turns on an outsized reaction in you.

I know that’s the case for me. Owning a creative agency means intimately working with dozens upon dozens of people each year, each with their own unique business dynamics, different personalities, often urgent timelines, and sometimes rapidly changing priorities and goals.  

This means that inevitably, no matter how hard I try, there will be some people and interactions that trigger me emotionally.  For example, last year, we had a client in which we invested countless hours over a year developing a brand and website. And upon finishing the site, and after early very impressive success as a result of it, the clients made changes to the site that really compromised the design and wasted much of our efforts over the previous year.  Understandably, this triggered me because it felt like it damaged something I felt creatively connected to and it brought up anger and frustration.

For others, it might be their boss who takes credit for their work without acknowledging their efforts. Or maybe, it’s the colleague who shoots down every potential idea during a brainstorming session, instead of encouraging the free flow of ideas. 

Often, we don’t have an option to break free of this difficult relationship perhaps because we don’t want to lose our job, this person is in our family, or we have an agreement to complete a project.