Complain-itis.

Complain-itis. 

Have you heard of it? 

Experienced it? 

LIVED it?

It’s a highly contagious disease, really.  Because the truth is, if you want to complain about something, you will find something to complain about. And once you start complaining, people around you start to chime in with THEIR complaints.  Just like that stone thrown in a lake causes ripples, so do your complaints.  Unlike those ripples on the lake, the ripples your complaints are causing are in no way pretty. 

The Collins Dictionary defines complaining as, “to express resentment, displeasure, etc. especially habitually; gumble.”  Grumble.  GRUMBLE.  I don’t know about you, but that word “GRUMBLE” just sounds so gnarly.  “What is she like?  Oh, she likes to grumble.”  “What is the best way to describe her personality?   Oh, she loves to grumble.”  Not at all how I would want to be described.  And I’m guessing you don’t want to be defined that way, either, or you wouldn’t still be reading.  You would have already closed this blog and started to grumble about how I don’t know what I’m talking about and I should get a REAL job.  

It’s no fun being around someone who is always complaining. In fact, it’s quite emotionally draining. Hearing their complaints is like nails on a chalkboard. Incessant negative chatter that threatens to steal our sanity. 

But what if it’s YOU that starts the complain-train? What if YOU are the conductor? We’ve all been there. That is not a judgment. I’ve done it. More than once. More times than I care to admit. You see, once the complaining begins, it’s a challenge to shut it down. 

So why do we complain in the first place?  If it’s so emotionally draining, so gnarly, so ugly - WHY does it even enter our lives?

One reason is that we like attention.  If we get people feeling sorry for us, we have their attention, right?  

Another reason, we don’t have to accept responsibility.  After all, if something is “too hard” then we don’t have to worry about completing the task.  I mean, it’s too hard.  Right?  Isn’t it so much easier to complain rather than dig in our heels and get the job done?  You can figure it out.  Start using all that energy you’re putting into complaining into completing what you are complaining about. 

How about making up complaints in order to cover up our poor workmanship or performance?  “I couldn’t finish my presentation because the copier is horrible and it wouldn’t print the pages correctly.”  “I couldn’t meet my goals because my office chair is horrible and my back was hurting and I had to stop working   If I had a better office chair, I could have exceeded my goal.”  

Gosh, it sounds silly seeing it all written out, doesn’t it?  

Og Mandino stated, “Do not listen to those who weep and complain, for their disease is contagious.”  

Just like a yawn spreads through a crowd, so does complaining.  And it gets uglier and uglier.  

The cool thing is - you can cause ripples with gratitude instead of complaints. It’s all up to you. 

YOU can choose to not be the grumbler.  And you can choose to not join in the negative, complaining chatter.  It’s a choice.  Choose Wisely. 

If you feel the urge to complain and grumble, stop it before you voice it.  Catch it.  Release it.  Replace it.  If you are tempted to complain about putting your clothes away, instead be grateful that you have clothes to put away.  If you are tempted to complain about unloading the dishwasher, instead be thankful for the clean dishes that you didn’t even have to wash.  If you are tired of deciding which car to take, be thankful you have a choice.  If you really hate your office chair that much, stand up. If you are tempted to complain about drinking “so much water” - decide to be thankful for the clean water you have to drink.   Seriously, stop the complaint in its tracks.  Instead of voicing a complaint, voice it’s counterpart of gratitude.   I promise it will change your life.  

And if you find yourself around someone suffering with complain-itit, REFUSE to get involved with the complaints.  Gently voice something you are grateful for.  Gengly.  This is not excuse to get all judgmental.  That isn’t pretty, either.  But you can gently voice something you are grateful for.  They may or may not get the hint, but at least you aren’t helping spread the disease.  You may just start a whole other kind of ripple effect.  

It’s up to you.  It’s your choice.  

I hope you will choose gratitude.  Because it will change your life. 

Life is Short.  Choose Wisely.  

XOXO Carrie