Complaining isn’t helpful

When you really think about it, does complaining help?

I once greeted someone asking how they were, and their response was, “Can’t complain.” Jokingly I said, “I bet you could find something to complain about.” To which they replied, “Sure I could, but it wouldn’t make a difference.”

Then there’s the person who told me they weren’t going to vote. When I commented, “If you don’t vote, you can’t complain about the outcome.” They promptly said, “I can, and will.” Wow.

Of course we all know people who complain about everything from

· Work

· Family

· Friends

· Holidays

· Traffic

· Weather

and anything else you can think of.

When was the last time you saw a change that was brought about by someone complaining?

Sure there are instances of people complaining and things changing, but that change was not brought about by people sitting around complaining. The change was brought about by someone taking action. Ah, well there you have it.

How many of you enjoy hanging around with someone who is constantly complaining? Not me. I’d rather be around the person who is taking action to change things.

Oh, now here’s a tough question… how many of you ARE the person standing around complaining? Ouch.

Sure, we all get a little down in the dumps and/or frustrated from time to time.

I can’t say I never complain. I am not a constant complainer though, and usually once I get over myself I either suck it up, or take action.

Listen to yourself some time.

Are you the complainer? If so, it’s time to make a change. Try this: Be grateful in every situation. For example: Someone cuts you off in traffic. Instead of screaming, swearing and flipping them the “bird,” think {I am grateful that car didn’t hit me and I didn’t wreck my car.} OR When you are stressed about finding the perfect gift and it isn’t appearing before you, think {I am grateful that I can now use the time I might spend shopping more to make a gift for this special person. They will love it more because it’s from the heart and not the store.}

We’re coming up on the holidays. Whichever ones you celebrate, try to look at the positive, be an encouragement, and take action if needed. Remember, as the one person said, you can complain but it really won’t make a difference.