Make a conscious effort to
do less of complaining
Many of us want to either impress others with our busyness or difficult life, or we are seeking sympathy. Rarely will you hear either spouse say to each other after a long day at work,” I had a terrific day. Lots of things went right.” The fear is that to do so (even if it were true) might be seen as a weakness – as if your life were too easy.
I know for a fact that some men complain to their wives about how difficult their workday is, in part, because they don’t want to be expected to do too much once they get home!
In addition, most of us want to be appreciated and respected for how hard we work. By sharing all that went right during the day, the fear is that we might lose some of that appreciation or respect, and be taken for granted.
But more than all of that, focusing on the negative is just a bad habit – plain and simple. Complaining is contagious, and everyone seems to do it. So, unless you make a conscious effort to do less of it, you’re probably going to continue for as long as you are working.
If you began focusing more on the best parts of your day, you will become increasingly aware that there are all sorts of interesting and enjoyable aspects to your day that were virtually invisible to you prior to this shift in focus. You no longer take for granted those stimulating conversations, interesting challenges, personal contact with friends and others. Perhaps most of all, you find that your appreciation has been heightened. Because of this, you find yourself less bothered and annoyed by the hassles that you must deal with on a daily basis.
Many of us want to either impress others with our busyness or difficult life, or we are seeking sympathy. Rarely will you hear either spouse say to each other after a long day at work,” I had a terrific day. Lots of things went right.” The fear is that to do so (even if it were true) might be seen as a weakness – as if your life were too easy.
I know for a fact that some men complain to their wives about how difficult their workday is, in part, because they don’t want to be expected to do too much once they get home!
In addition, most of us want to be appreciated and respected for how hard we work. By sharing all that went right during the day, the fear is that we might lose some of that appreciation or respect, and be taken for granted.
But more than all of that, focusing on the negative is just a bad habit – plain and simple. Complaining is contagious, and everyone seems to do it. So, unless you make a conscious effort to do less of it, you’re probably going to continue for as long as you are working.
If you began focusing more on the best parts of your day, you will become increasingly aware that there are all sorts of interesting and enjoyable aspects to your day that were virtually invisible to you prior to this shift in focus. You no longer take for granted those stimulating conversations, interesting challenges, personal contact with friends and others. Perhaps most of all, you find that your appreciation has been heightened. Because of this, you find yourself less bothered and annoyed by the hassles that you must deal with on a daily basis.
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