I have a racing buddy with a lot of rage. It’s kind of amusing actually. You can hear him yell at other slow or poor drivers around him when he’s driving. He also yells at himself during races to motivate him to move faster, ie. “C’mon you w**sy, you can go faster! You’re such a p**sy, get your ass in gear!”.
There have been some articles written on the use of rage and anger as a motivator during a race. If you can maintain such anger, anger at yourself, at the world, rage to get you to the finish line with gritted teeth and razor focus, pushing harder than you thought you could.
I think it’s something I’ll have to think more about. Personally, I’m a pretty calm guy. I like harmony, not conflict, in my life. Rage doesn’t come easy to me as I like to look at life without anger. But I think there is something to it. Anger at all the elements in your life which get you down, but during a race is where you can symbolically beat every one of these obstacles plaguing your present or past. It gives you tremendous energy as you strive to defeat all of these negative influences, as you push to your limits to reach the finish line.
Perhaps I should practice by raging at the idiot drivers around me on the California highways…?