No complaints!
The original topic planned for this space has been postponed. Today I present you with a new and different topic instead.
We all know that we live in an imperfect world. VERY few people have EVERYTHING they want, and from there few people know how to GET what they want in a proactive/productive manner. So what do we do when things don’t go as we’d most desire? We complain.
Complaining is EASY. It takes little to no effort to examine what is wrong with any given situation, and to complain about said wrong. There are even whole departments in various companies whose sole purpose is to take on complaints.
From Dictionary.com:
com·plaint/[kuhm-pleynt]–noun
1.
an expression of discontent, regret, pain, censure, resentment, or grief; lament; faultfinding: his complaint about poor schools.
2.
a cause of discontent, pain, grief, lamentation, etc.
3.
a cause of bodily pain or ailment; malady: The doctor says I suffer from a rare complaint.
4.
Law. the first pleading of the plaintiff in a civil action, stating the cause of action.
All of these definitions point to the same thing – a complaint is a negative thing. No solution comes of complaining.
There IS a point to this. I, like everyone else, complain. My job is imperfect, my relationships have issues – and I complain about these things. Does it make me feel better to complain? Not in particular. Does it make anyone ELSE feel better when I complain? Nope, not so much. Does complaining about anything provide any insight or solution? Not that I have ever encountered, no. Does a complaint produce any result? I have to continue to go with no.
So this raises the unasked question – WHY DO I COMPLAIN?
I find myself asking that question very seriously – and the answer I have is – I don’t know. Because complaining about things is EASY, because complaining allows me to express discontent, because if I complain it makes others aware.
SO WHAT?
Seriously – does anything productive come of complaining? All sources point to the answer being NO. If I complain about my job – does that in any way solve the issues I have with my job? Again – the answer is a resounding NO.
Why am I complaining about complaining?
THAT is the key – this is not a complaint about complaining – this is an observation – and a change of approach.
As of today, I am vowing to go this ENTIRE WEEK without complaining.
Complaining is no help to anyone – it does not give us solutions, it does not provide us with ideas or positive approaches – it is nothing but a source of negativity. And negativity begets negativity. ]
SO – let the experiment begin! Let’s see if a week without complaint makes a difference. I have a feeling it WILL.
Care to join me?
Follow me here!
