This arrived in my mailbox recently from Zen Habits and I thought it was worth a share.
“Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain but it takes
character and self control to be understanding and forgiving.” —Dale Carnegie
We can claim to be proactive in our life by settings goals and going after what we
want. But if we’re always whining and complaining all the time, are we really
living effectively?
If you don’t believe me, count how many times you complain about something or other in one day. Whether it be being stuck in traffic, being bothered by the weather, not enough mustard on your sandwich, or whatever it is, there are endless instances where you can find a reason to complain.
But it’s not just outside circumstances that we complain about. We complain about about ourselves too. We complain that we don’t have enough time, we don’t have enough money (this one is huge because it’s often “true”), that we’re not smart enough, cool enough, or just enough.
I know I’ve experienced plenty of unpleasantness due to complaining about things I
can’t control. I never really thought about it much until I found this website
about “living in a complain free world.”
Imagine how much happier you would be if you simply stopped complaining? Much of what you complain about is outside of your control anyway. What’s the point of brooding about something you have no power to change? Not very intelligent, if you ask me.
Simply becoming conscious of how much you complain is the first step to stopping. When you recognize that you’re complaining, stop and take notice of it. Ask yourself
if you would rather complain, or be happy.
Are you ready to live a complaint-free, happier life?
The two steps to stop whining so much:
Make it a priority to notice every time you complain or unnecessarily
criticize. This includes judging others. Now, every time you catch yourself
complaining, just stop and notice it. After you’ve noticed yourself
complaining, ask yourself this: Is there anything I can do about what I’m
complaining about, or it outside of my control? If there is something you can do
about it, do it. If there is nothing you can do, let it go.
Obviously, this is a little easier said than done. Complaining is an addiction and a hard habit to break. Like any other habit to break, it will take time.
Even though it may be a long time (or possibly never) before you’re living completely
complaint-free, that’s still okay. The good news is this isn’t all-or-nothing.
Even 10% less complaining will have an immediate positive impact on your life.
Then, once you’ve decreased your whining by 10%, you can keep bootstrapping your
way down to complaining less and less.
After complaints show up less and less, something awesome starts to happen. Once your mind realizes that you won’t tolerate its moaning, it will begin to give up its efforts. (Whatever you do, don’t fall into the trap of complaining that you’re complaining.)
So the question is: Would you rather complain or be happy?
(Oh and by the way, having gratitude is a great way to stop complaining.)
Yesterday's sunshine brought with it my long lost energy! There is nothing better than waking up to the sun streaming through my window...well actually, waking up with my guy next to me while the sun is streaming through my window is better.
Work, laundry, weeding, mowing...today is a repeat of yesterday and I'm perfectly OK with that!
Have a wonderful weekend folks! Say a prayer that I'll find my magic sailor powers for the Regatta for the Cure taking place tomorrow. I don't want another repeat of my Canada Day adventure.
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