Ponderings (April 2010) - “COMPLAIN”

According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary …

Complain is “to express grief, pain, or discontent; to make a formal accusation or charge”

Sharing my thoughts …

I caught myself complaining recently about the economy and the slowdown of business that many folks, including myself, are experiencing.  Suddenly my complaining felt loud, obnoxious and a total waste of energy, especially since I was focused entirely on the problems and not on the possible solutions.  At that moment I realized that my complaining was really whining which was doing nothing to change the situation, but rather, was draining my energy.  Complaining, without taking measures to change anything, was setting me up as a victim, powerless to change.  Yuck!   Not a space I want to occupy!  How about you?

Questions to ponder …

1. How do others react to your complaining?
2. How do you react to complaining from others?
3. What do you complain about most often and why?
4. What do you gain from complaining?  What do you lose?
5. How often do you complain and to whom do you complain most?
6. How does complaining make you feel physically, mentally and emotionally?
7. In the course of a day, how much time and energy do you spend complaining?
8. When has complaining improved your situation?  When has it worsened your situation?

Ponderings challenge …

For the next month, when you catch yourself complaining, stop and ask, “Is this going to help, hurt or keep the situation the same?  How can I improve the situation or my reaction to it?  What actions can I take that will be more effective than complaining?” 

Please share your experience on the TeamWorx Blog.

Related quotes …

Don't find fault, find a remedy; anybody can complain.  [Henry Ford]

Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do.  [Benjamin Franklin]

It's my belief we developed language because of our deep inner need to complain.  [Lily Tomlin]

If you have time to whine and complain about something then you have the time to do something about it.  [Anthony J. D’Angelo]

You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses.  [Ziggy / comic strip created by Tom Wilson]

Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain but it takes character and self control to be understanding and forgiving.  [Dale Carnegie]