Transform Your Life With This 4-Step Approach to Complaints
Complaining can completely ruin your life by taking all the happiness out of it. Spending time criticizing everything is the easiest way to become dissatisfied about anything that crosses your path. When you constantly complain, you develop a negative mentality about everything. That leads to discontent and inner misery. Obviously you want to avoid those feelings at all costs.
If you're displeased with life, make it your mission to change your situation! Flip things around: use each situation that you're unhappy with as an opportunity to set a goal that will bring you joy, instead.
Turn negative expressions into positive actions with this four-step approach:
- Challenge yourself to fix it. If something is really getting under your skin, make it your goal to fix it! Get to the root of the issue and make the necessary changes.
* It's easy to complain about everything, but much more difficult to fix it.
* Let's say your exercise partner is chronically late for your workouts. Instead of complaining about it, make some difficult changes. Find another partner. Sometimes tough love is the best way to go!
- Find the positive in the situation. Compulsive complainers usually have difficulty finding the positives in a situation. You're usually so tuned into the negative that you overlook the positive aspects.
* Try digging a little deeper than the surface. Take the time to find that "diamond in the rough."
* Do you often complain that you haven't received a raise at work? Take a moment to acknowledge that you're fortunate to have a job, unlike many others in this economy. At least you know that the same bills you paid last month can get paid this month!
- Practice contentment. Make contentment your goal for the next few weeks. It might be the solution to your urge to complain.
* Everyone can find something to complain about. However, you'll only make yourself feel miserable by complaining. Think of all the blessings in your life and be content about them. For instance, if you're in great health, try feeling contentment with that.
- Solicit feedback. Constant complaining usually means you're feeling discontentment and unhappiness. Sometimes looking inward is the best way to recognize the source of your misery. Ask your loved ones to size you up in a very honest way. Just ensure you're ready to hear what they have to say!
* Are you surprised that your loved ones find you miserable? Is it a shock that they don't consider you a pleasure to be around?
* That's the reality of a complainer. You find so many faults with the world that you make others around you uncomfortable.
* Take the feedback for face value and use it to make really great changes in your life.
As a complainer who's now "seen the light," you'll realize that there's a lot for you to change. The good news is that you're already in goal-setting mode. Make every effort to turn things around so the world seems sunny and bright instead of dim and gloomy.