Complaining

by Alisa Peskin-Shepherd | Apr 3, 2017 | Off Topic

Are you the person who always complains?

Sees the glass as half-empty, the negative in every situation?

Or are you the person who bristles when a friend or partner complains? The person who simply cannot understand why they must always give voice to what is wrong or unpleasant or below their satisfaction?

Complaining is something we do to give voice to discomfort. But in life, we must be willing to bear the discomfort that comes with choices we make.

Not every situation works out as we hoped. And maybe we knew that from the start.

Nonetheless, what do we accomplish when we complain?

Actually, we prolong the pain. Giving voice to an emotion or experience makes it more real. The more we complain, the deeper we step into the mud of unpleasantness.

Kill the complaining, and we open the possibility for purpose and inspiration and happiness.

We all have a choice – to use complaining in a positive way. The purpose should not be to show you are not happy with the way things are.

Rather, use complaining as a signal that you need to make change for yourself. A trigger that it’s time to take action.(Check out my monthly series of lunch and learns here, which give you easy ways to take action and do something positive to transform your discontent into making a difference in your community.)

When you hear yourself complaining, try hard to think about what can you do for yourself and the situation. Ask yourself what you have control over.

Channel your negative energy into the creative process – bolstering personal relationships, making the world better, gathering in community with others who also want to make a difference, now, today. (Check out my Take Action series…)