There is nothing easier than to complain. We hear complaints every day. Often, we hide our complaint in an explanation of why we believe that something is not working. Other times, we repeat our complaint over and over until someone listens.
Emotions add to complaints. Complaints are never that objective. Our words become faster. Expressions on our face become more pronounced. There is a developing insistence to the words we deliver when we complain.
To complain is a way to tell the world that our point of view is right. No proof is needed. No work is needed to correct the situation we are complaining about. Just simply complaining is enough for us to feel better about what bothers us inside.
The part we don’t see when we complain is how we become trapped. Our words are spoken so freely that our ears and our ability to listen go dormant. You can’t tell anyone anything different when they are complaining. Like a tennis match, they quickly take the next shot on defending their complaint.
When we don’t listen, there is no chance of us hearing different information that might change our point of view. Or information that may give us the spark of an idea to help make a situation better.
Complaining is a selfish act. I see people complain about their lives but don’t put in the effort to try to change their own circumstance. I find complaints are for the lazy.
We feel powerless therefore we complain. But the truth is that strength is built when we don’t complain. When we search for the why of what is happening that we don’t like. To adjust our perspective to see more clearly the root cause of a problem.
To not complain will also develop the muscle inside of ourselves to become more patient. To evolve as a person to be less selfish and become more collaborative. To become more self aware and begin to realize that we do have the power to act differently, think differently, and to believe we can be part of a process moving towards a solution.
Easier said than done. Just remember the next time you complain, most likely, no one will be listening. And then what will you choose to do?