When You Complain, Does It Change?

When You Complain, Does It Change?

We like to complain when things change. Life is full of moments that you love and moments that you wish never happened. Those experiences make you into who you are today.

Understand that adapting to change is necessary. If you don’t, your entire life will keep going in the same circle, day in and day out. Most people don’t like change, because it’s out of their routine and they don’t know what to expect – actually, you should expect to learn something.

Then, there are those things that we know will happen like clockwork, yet, we avoid the responsibility of preparing for it. Granted, it’s impossible to be ready for every little thing that could possibly happen, but having an emergency fund and keeping an umbrella in your car goes a very long way.

Paying bills is one of those things. If you think the internet bill is too much, don’t complain about it, simply find another provider or cut it off. Problem solved. There’s no need to expand on why it’s too much and how they should have done it.

Complain or Move

“Is your cucumber bitter? Throw it away. Are there briars in your path? Turn aside. That is enough.”

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

These are the types of little complaints that we spew everyday. “It’s always something,” you think. There are some things that occur on a regularly scheduled basis, but we still complain about it (like the bills), and it’s a total distraction and waste of energy.

Have a solutions-based mindset. Be proactive and responsible with your thoughts. Complaining all the time is a drag, not only to you, but to those around you. It benefits no one to constantly speak on things without suggesting a strategy to make it better.

Bring some type of value to your conversations (with yourself and with others). We all know that gas is expensive – how many different ways can you openly be bitter about it? Go to another gas station, purchase an electric vehicle or stay home.

We tend to make things harder than they have to be. We can solve most of our problems if we can get past the initial negative reaction. Getting stuck at the “complaint” stage encourages laziness and holds us back.

Don’t sabotage yourself – if you’re going to complain, do it for five seconds. Then, find an answer and move on. There are better things to do with your life than to waste it on something you’re likely going to continue doing anyway.

#TBT: How To Find the Opportunity In Fear

#TBT: How To Find The Opportunity In Fear

It sounds impossible, but you can find the opportunity in fear. Depending on your mindset, fear can either hold you back or take you to another level.

We’ve been trained to see fear and hurt as something to avoid. It’s something ‘bad’ that we want to get away from and we don’t ever want to experience it.

Have you ever considered that maybe your fear is pushing you in the right direction? Let’s examine how we normally react to fear.

Blaming And Complaining

Fear gets the best of our emotions. As soon as something makes us fearful, our feelings kick in and take over.

For some of us, that means we automatically become defensive. We create different excuses as to why we haven’t done something. The excuses are portrayed through blaming and complaining.

We say things like, “I couldn’t make the speech because they didn’t give me the right microphone…” or, “The lights were so bright, I couldn’t see the audience.” That’s fear consuming your mind and your attitude.

Those may be somewhat legitimate reasons (to an extent), but they’re still excuses. Sometimes, you will have to get things done, whether you are comfortable or not. Everything is not guaranteed to happen to your personal satisfaction. The end goal is to make it happen, the best way you can.

Practicing Fear

Some of us actually practice the fear within us. When you have pity parties and feel sorry for yourself, that’s being supporting of a negative emotion.

We say things like, “They said I’m no good at singing. I never was and I guess I never will be…”, or “I flunked the test twice already – I guess it’s not meant for me.” You’re indirectly inviting negative energy to take hold of your life.

If it’s something you really want to overcome, don’t feel bad because it didn’t happen the first time around. As long as you breathe, you can make another attempt.

There will always be people who are critical of whatever you’re doing. Never allow what someone else thinks, to interfere with what you’re doing. It’s their insecurity, not yours, so don’t claim it.

The Pity Party

The pity party is the ultimate setback. Some of us were raised to think and be fearful of things we’ve failed at. We’ve been taught to accept that we’re not ‘good enough’ and that’s not okay.

We’re used to reacting to obstacles by putting ourselves down. “Why me? What did I do to deserve this?” Then, you begin playing all of your failures from the past, over and over in your mind.

This is not the ONLY way to respond to fear. Yes, it hurts when challenging situations happen, but have a mindset of power and opportunity. Stop practicing fear by having a “woe is me” attitude and thinking that you’ll never succeed.

Be Proactive

All of our lives, we’ve allowed fear to steal valuable moments from us. We’re so used to believing in a negative, emotional power, that it literally takes up our most important asset – time.

Reclaim your time and take advantage of your fear. Be productive by turning it into an opportunity to become better. Make it a personal project that you must successfully complete!

Instead of letting fear control you, take control of it. See the benefits of what fear has to offer and use it in your favor. On the other side of fear is improvement. See through it, then, see it through.

#BeGoalden