When one thinks of the lofty qualities that leaders are supposed to have, one thinks of high-powered ones such as integrity, creativity, courage, and intelligence. Nurses don’t think of sustaining optimism and managing anger, because they seem more like givens than a stretch toward greatness. However, one of the most difficult but important aspects of leadership from the personal side is to take responsibility for managing our well-being so that one can stay optimistic enough to energize others. Managing anger is a part of sustaining optimism, but so are many other things. Sustaining optimism is inextricably connected to taking care of oneself. Anger can have benefits when it provides motivation for realistic confrontation of a problem. Body listening is an important part of self-regulation; the better one gets at figuring out one’s own energy fluctuations, the more likely one can use them to advantage.