Mega-Millennials Chris Brown and Rihanna: Emotions Gone Wild!

“When emotions fill the room, logic goes out the window.”

—Al Duncan

Herpes?

Choking, bites, and bruises?

A sincere apology?

Emotions gone wild!

A personal brand destroyed…

The dream millennial couple bites the dust. Millions of fans and millions of dollars lost. It’s been two weeks and this story still has a long way to go before it plays all the way out.

Millennials are shocked and outraged. Some are in disbelief.

Some tried to make a joke out of it. (There was a mass text message going around. “Watch out for celebrity men with the last name Brown. They beat their women. James Brown, Bobby Brown, Chris Brown…”)

Worst of all, some Millennials are just numb. This is the response I got when I asked a young guy at the grocery store about it:

“I’m tellin’ you… I’ve seen this type of thing so much that it don’t even phase me anymore. I’m sayin’, it’s messed up, it ain’t right, but it don’t phase me.”

I was in the middle of writing an article on Mega-Millennial Michael Phelps and his personal-brand-threatening, bong fiasco (I put that on hold to write this) when my inbox started crying out for mercy. The subject lines of all 147 emails had four words in common: “Chris Brown and Rihanna.”

IT’S A SAD THING

“Mr. Duncan, how you feel about that CB Rihanna thing?”

–one of the 147 emails that hit my inbox

Sad and disappointed.

I love young people and I hate to see negative stories like this.

I love my mom, my wife, and my three sisters. If anybody puts their hands on them (or any of my close female friends), there will be PROBLEMS.

I love my father, my three brothers, and my son. I would be embarrassed and angry to see them (or any of my male friends) do something stupid and cowardly like that. Again, there would be problems. If your better half makes you that mad then just leave, man. Just leave. (The same thing goes for women.)

I don’t know what was going on in that car—or in their relationship for that matter—but Chris Brown and Rihanna (if possible) should’ve just walked away.

I know, easier said than done, right?

No excuses. Everybody has hard choices to make.

If you need some help with managing your emotions there are nine articles on emotional mastery in the archives on my website and here’s a free e-book on anger management.

EMOTIONS GONE WILD

A few years ago I was being interviewed on a college TV station and the host asked me, “What is a common problem that young people all around the country have to deal with?”

My response was, “They have the same challenge that everybody has—managing their emotions. Emotional mastery is essential for success.”

Regardless of what happened with this “Chris Brown-Rihanna thing”, this is a case of Emotions Gone Wild. That’s the title of one of my popular college programs. The program provides insight and strategies for dealing with emotions, pressure, and stress. I constantly reiterate the following point:

When emotions fill the room, logic goes out the window. 99.9% of the stupid stuff we all do happens during an E3 (excessively emotional event).

Unprotected sex. Falling for a scam. Spending more money than you meant to. Beating up your kids. (I’m talking about more than a little spanking. I know they’re bad, but are they THAT bad?)

Spittin’ poisonous words to a loved one. Snappin’ on your boss and of course, puttin’ yo’ hands on a female (or man).

Emotions gone wild.

Whether or not it’s happened to you, you at least know somebody that it has happened to.

MILLION-DOLLAR QUESTION:
Will you avoid letting your emotions go wild?

Yes…IF you have self-awareness and self-discipline.

This Chris Brown and Rihanna thing has sparked new and needed discussions about domestic violence. MTV even had a special show dedicated to the whole issue.

It should, however, also serve as a reminder about two of the key ingredients to a happy and successful life: self-awareness and self-discipline. Without these two keys you cannot master your emotions and you end up with stories like Chris Brown and Rihanna.

Emotions gone wild.